[Summary] "Son Jeong-woo 1 Year 6 Months, Jeong Gyeong-shim 4 Years?"... Heated Controversy Over Sentence Severity

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy reporters Seunggon Han and intern Eunyoung Choi] Jung Kyung-shim, wife of former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk and a professor at Dongyang University, was sentenced to four years in prison and detained in court on the 23rd after the first trial. Voices of criticism erupted from some quarters, mainly within the ruling party, calling it a "confirmation bias-driven verdict."

On the 23rd, Kwon Chil-seung, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, strongly criticized, saying, "The verdict against Professor Jung Kyung-shim is truly shocking," and added, "The judiciary sentenced Son Jung-woo, operator of the world's largest child sexual exploitation site 'Welcome to Video,' to only one year and six months in prison."

Kim Nam-guk, also from the same party and a member of the Cho Kuk White Paper Promotion Committee, said, "My chest feels tight and I can't breathe. It seems there is nowhere in the world where one can safely shout out the truth."

Yoon Young-chan, another member of the same party, said, "Even if the forgery of the award certificate and internship certificate is true, four years of imprisonment with detention in court is too harsh," and questioned, "If Professor Jung were not the wife of former Minister Cho Kuk, would the court have handed down such a harsh verdict? Did the court place the cross on Professor Jung on behalf of all parents in this land who once risked their lives for their children's specs?"

The sentence against Professor Jung became a major topic not only among opposition figures but also among those who had criticized them. Jin Joong-kwon, former professor at Dongyang University, who had been a major critic of former Minister Cho and his associates on Facebook and lectures, also said, "It is harsher than expected."

Former Professor Jin said, "It appears that the defendant and the defense team’s poor attitude in court so far negatively affected the sentencing," and added, "This verdict also confirms some of the charges against former Minister Cho. Therefore, Cho should seriously reconsider what is the best way to protect himself."

[Image source = Twitter capture]

On the 24th, a national petition titled "Demanding the impeachment of the first trial court of Jung Kyung-shim" was posted.

The petitioner stated, "The daughter of a lawmaker who was tried for drug smuggling and habitual drug use, and the son of a lawmaker who was tried for drunk driving and driver substitution, both received suspended sentences," and added, "I have serious doubts about the belief that judges’ consciences are always just. Despite holding four court sessions, the court unilaterally relied only on the prosecution’s circumstantial evidence and statements." As of 3 p.m., the petition had over 120,000 supporters.

Another petitioner also expressed an unacceptable stance, saying, "During the one-year trial, only the prosecution’s missteps were revealed, and no solid evidence was presented."

Among netizens, reactions such as "The sentence is biased" and "Unacceptable" erupted. One Twitter user expressed outrage, saying, "Son Jung-woo (operator of the child sexual exploitation site 'Welcome to Video') got one year and six months, but Professor Jung Kyung-shim got four years? What is to be done with this crazy country?" This tweet was retweeted over 29,000 times.

Another netizen showed support by using the hashtag '#JungKyungShimIsInnocent.'

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