Cho Kuk "Suddenly Bringing Up My Son... My Son Is Currently in Graduate School, Will Enlist After Graduation"

Former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk, who was indicted on charges including family corruption and allegations of covering up an inspection, is heading to the courtroom to attend a continuation hearing held at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu on the afternoon of the 3rd. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Eun-young] Former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk recently addressed the controversy surrounding his son's military enlistment, stating it is "baseless" and that his son will "enlist after graduating from graduate school."

On the 1st, Cho Kuk posted on his SNS, "There are people who suddenly bring up my son's military enlistment," adding, "My son is currently enrolled in graduate school and will enlist after graduation."

Cho Kuk's son entered the master's program in Political Science and Diplomacy at Yonsei University Graduate School in 2018. Born in the United States in 1996 while Cho Kuk was studying abroad, he holds dual citizenship in South Korea and the United States.

[Image source = Screenshot from Cho Kuk, former Minister of Justice's Twitter]

The controversy over Cho Kuk's son's military enlistment began on the 31st when Professor Seo Min from Dankook University College of Medicine posted an article titled "Former Minister Cho Kuk, only two months left."

Professor Seo stated, "Former Minister Cho Kuk dislikes lies. Especially when it comes to lies related to his children, he hates them so much that he files lawsuits promptly." He continued, "But regarding the enlistment of Cho Kuk's son that was mentioned last year, if he does not enlist within the remaining two months, it will become a case of spreading false information."

Last August, when the controversy over Cho Kuk's son's dual citizenship arose along with the revelation that his enlistment had been postponed five times since 2015, Cho Kuk dismissed the controversy by saying, "He is scheduled to enlist next year." Professor Seo pointed out that the "next year" deadline mentioned by Cho Kuk himself was only about two months away.

On the 1st, former People Power Party lawmaker Na Kyung-won also joined the discussion. Lawmaker Na said, "Seeing Professor Seo Min's Facebook post addressed to former Minister Cho Kuk suddenly reminded me of the 'birth tourism' attacks surrounding my son," adding, "My son will soon enlist. Birth tourism? Dual citizenship? I am not someone who lives like that," delivering a sharp rebuke.

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