Kim Tae-woo Criticizes "Cho Kuk, Rising by Appeasing Pro-Moon Power Brokers"... Trial Audience Also Causes Disturbance

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jin-young] Kim Tae-woo, a former special inspection team member of the Blue House and former prosecutor who first exposed the allegations of ‘Yoo Jae-soo inspection cover-up’ involving former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk, criticized Cho, saying, “I suspect he rose to power by currying favor with pro-Moon Jae-in insiders.”

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the afternoon of the 3rd, Kim made these remarks before appearing as a witness at Cho’s trial held at the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 21 (Presiding Judge Kim Mi-ri).

He added, “If Cho Kuk and Yoo Jae-soo’s cases are given a free pass, public officials will continue to commit corruption and, even if caught by inspections, will refuse accountability and use ‘backs’ (connections) behind the scenes.” He then said, “I hope the judiciary will make a just decision to prevent such harm,” before entering the courtroom.

During the subsequent witness examination, Kim continued to target Cho Kuk, saying, “As the Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs, he should have blocked such ‘backs,’ but I thought he was actually pushing them away.”

During the trial, a commotion broke out when an audience member protested, “Aren’t you ashamed before the people?” and Cho Kuk responded, “Go back to your seat.”

After the court declared a brief recess following Kim’s witness examination, a male audience member approached Cho Kuk, who was seated in the defendant’s seat, and shouted, “The people are watching. Aren’t you ashamed?” In response, Cho loudly told the man, “Go back to your seat.”

Then, a person related to the defense quietly uttered a profanity, and when the man protested, he was restrained by court security officers.

The court warned, “We have heard that some use recess time to intimidate lawyers or parties involved in the lawsuit. If such incidents occur, we will restrict viewing rights and order removal.”

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