Seoul National University Staff "I Did See Jo Min"... Judge Rebukes Inconsistent Testimony

Jeong Gyeong-sim, wife of former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk, who was arrested and indicted on charges including admission bribery for her children and suspicions of private equity funds, is entering the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul on the 14th to attend the trial. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] Testimony in court revealed that Cho Min, daughter of Professor Jeong Kyung-shim of Dongyang University, attended a seminar held in 2009 at the Seoul National University Public Interest Law Center.

This testimony directly contradicts the statement of Jang Mo, son of Professor Jang Young-pyo of Dankook University and a high school classmate of Cho Min from Han Young Foreign Language High School, who testified that he did not see Cho at the seminar.

At the continuation trial of Professor Jeong held on the afternoon of the 14th at the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 25-2 (Presiding Judge Lim Jeong-yeop), Kim, who served as the secretary-general at the Seoul National University Public Interest Human Rights Law Center at the time, appeared as a witness.

During the prosecution's direct examination, Kim testified, "At the seminar, I received assistance such as event guidance from 3 to 4 foreign language high school students, and Cho was among them."

He added, "At the time of the seminar, I did not know that she was the daughter of former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk, but after the event, at the dining table, Cho introduced herself by name."

In a previous prosecution investigation, Kim had stated, "I remember that Cho Min was there," but also said, "I did not know she was the daughter of former Minister Cho Kuk, and she did not introduce herself. I only realized it was her when photos appeared in the media."

However, in court that day, he reversed his statement, saying he had received a self-introduction from Cho.

When the prosecution asked, "Which is correct?" Kim replied, "The testimony given in court is correct," adding, "I remembered it after the prosecution investigation."

As Kim's testimony changed, the prosecution highlighted the credibility issues through additional questioning. During this process, Kim's testimony wavered somewhat.

The following is the content of the prosecution's subsequent questioning:

Quotation

Prosecutor: Why did you give a statement different from the facts to the prosecution?

Witness: After the investigation, I thought quietly and realized that after the event that day, Cho came to the after-party and sat to my right, so I said that.

Prosecutor: Did Cho introduce herself as the daughter of Professor Cho Kuk at the event?

Witness: After the event...

Prosecutor: Please describe the situation of Cho's self-introduction as you remember it.

Witness: I only remember that she said she was a third-year high school student named Cho Min.

Prosecutor: You said she said she was Professor Cho Kuk's daughter?

Witness: Because she was sitting next to Professor Cho Kuk.

Prosecutor: You just said she was sitting next to you.

Witness: She was sitting next to Professor Cho Kuk.

Prosecutor: How did Cho introduce herself?

Witness: She said she was Professor Cho Kuk's daughter.

Prosecutor: So she said, 'I am Cho Min, daughter of Professor Cho Kuk,' right?

Witness: I am not sure if she said 'Cho Min.' My memory could be distorted. I have continuously seen in the media that she is Cho Min, daughter of Professor Cho Kuk.

As the testimony continued to waver, the presiding judge could no longer tolerate it and sharply reprimanded the witness. Judge Lim said, "Why are you telling all possible scenarios? Does that make sense?"

Judge Lim then asked again, "Is it true that Cho introduced herself as Professor Cho Kuk's daughter?" and Kim answered, "Yes."

Jeong Gyeong-shim, wife of former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk, who was arrested and indicted on charges including admission corruption involving their children and suspicions related to private equity funds, is entering the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul on the 14th to attend the trial. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

Kim also testified that the woman in the video footage of the seminar was indeed Cho.

This video was released by Professor Jeong's side in October last year as evidence that Cho attended the seminar.

Until now, no witness had identified the woman in the video as Cho.

On the 7th, Jang, a high school classmate of Cho from Han Young Foreign Language High School and son of Professor Jang Young-pyo of Dankook University, who appeared in court, also testified, "The woman in the video is not Cho, and I was the only Han Young Foreign Language High School student who attended the seminar."

In response, Kim refuted Jang's claim, saying, "My memory is correct."

However, the prosecution again questioned the credibility of Kim's testimony.

When asked why he identified the woman in the video as Cho, Kim said, "Because her hair was long," but the graduation photo of Cho from Han Young Foreign Language High School taken at the time of the seminar, presented by the prosecution, shows Cho with short hair.

Nevertheless, Kim insisted again, "I remember her having long hair, and it is Cho."

During cross-examination, Professor Jeong's defense attorney raised the possibility that Jang's testimony might be incorrect.

When the defense attorney asked, "Jang testified that he remembered a presenter speaking fluent Chinese impressively, but could his memory be mistaken? Was Chinese used at the event besides English?" Kim answered, "Not at all."

The defense attorney also asked about the internship certificate stating the period from May 1 to 15, "Did Professor Han In-seop, head of the Public Interest Human Rights Law Center, instruct you to familiarize yourself with the related matters before attending the event, which is why it was recorded that way?" Kim replied, "I also think so."

The prosecution believes that although Cho did not attend the academic conference, Professor Jeong submitted a false certificate to Han Young Foreign Language High School stating that Cho had worked as a high school intern from May 1 to 15 to fabricate her credentials.

On the other hand, the defense attorney stated after the trial, "While it has been confirmed that Cho participated in the seminar, the internship certificate is not false and does not pose any legal issues, which was somewhat clarified through today's witness examination."

However, since the witnesses' testimonies regarding this charge conflict, it is expected that the court will determine whose statements are more credible through further hearings.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.