Judgment Finds All Admission Materials of Cho Kuk's Daughter and Son False... Fairness of Admissions Under Scrutiny

Court Convicts Choi Kang-wook for Falsifying Intern Confirmation
Following Cho Kuk's Daughter, Son's Documents Also Deemed False
Citizens Express Frustration: "Nothing Has Changed Despite Guilty Verdict"

Former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] The court sentenced Choi Kang-wook, leader of the Open Democratic Party, to a guilty verdict on charges of issuing a false internship certificate to the son of former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk. Earlier, the court had also ruled that the so-called '7 major specs' used in the admission process of Cho's daughter were all false. As the admission corruption related to Cho's children has been revealed as true, public criticism over the fairness of university admissions is intensifying.

According to media reports, the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 9 (Judge Jeong Jong-geon) sentenced Choi, who was indicted without detention for obstruction of business, to 8 months in prison with a 2-year probation.

Previously, Choi was indicted on charges of issuing a false internship certificate to Cho's son in October 2017 while working as a lawyer at the law firm Cheongmaek. Cho's son submitted this certificate to graduate schools at Korea University and Yonsei University and was admitted to both.

Choi claimed innocence, stating that he wrote the certificate because Cho's son actually participated in the internship, but the court judged based on the contents of the certificate that Cho's son did not actually intern.

The court stated, "Considering various circumstances, it can be seen that the defendant intentionally caused the admissions officers to misunderstand Cho's credentials," and "The defendant appears to have known that the internship certificate would be used for Cho's (former Minister Cho's son) admission. There is no difficulty in recognizing the intent to obstruct business."

Since members of the National Assembly lose their seats if they receive a confirmed sentence of imprisonment or higher (including suspended sentences), if the sentence is finalized, Choi will lose his seat as a lawmaker.

Jung Kyung-shim, wife of former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk, who was indicted on charges including admission fraud for her children and suspicions of private equity fund investment, is attending the first trial sentencing hearing held at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul, in the afternoon of December last year.
/Photo by Yonhap News

Regarding the admission corruption related to Cho's children, a guilty verdict was also delivered concerning his daughter. Earlier, the court ruled last month in the sentencing of Jung Kyung-shim, a professor at Dongyang University and Cho's wife, that the so-called '7 major specs' related to the daughter's admission documents were all false.

Specifically, these include △ Dongyang University president's certificate of commendation and research confirmation △ Dongyang University Language Education Center research assistant activity confirmation △ Dankook University Medical Science Research Institute internship activities and thesis △ Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) internship experience △ Aqua Palace Hotel and Intercontinental Hotel internship certificates △ Kongju National University Life Science Research Institute internship certificate △ Seoul National University Public Interest and Human Rights Law Center internship confirmation, totaling seven items.

Cho's daughter used these experiences and certificates to enter Korea University, and applied to Seoul National University and Pusan National University Medical School, ultimately being admitted to Pusan National University Medical School.

There have been calls to cancel Cho's daughter's admission to Pusan National University Medical School, but Pusan National University has postponed the decision to revoke the degree until the final verdict is issued.

Cho's daughter has currently passed the national medical licensing examination and was reported to have applied for an internship at the National Medical Center on the 27th, where she also attended an interview.

As a result, criticism over the fairness of university admissions is growing among citizens. Especially, university students who took admissions around the same time as Cho's children expressed frustration, saying "Nothing has changed despite the guilty verdict."

Lee (29), who graduated from a university in Seoul, said, "Thinking about the time I endured and studied for three years in high school to get into university makes me furious," adding, "On top of that, despite the guilty verdict, not only was her admission not canceled, but she also passed the medical exam and is submitting resumes and attending interviews openly. I don't know if fairness exists in this world."

Another 20-year-old university student, Choi (25), said, "Not to mention the Cho family, I cannot understand the institutions that accept them despite the conclusion of illegality," and "Only those who committed wrongdoing exist, and no one seems willing to take responsibility for it."

Meanwhile, both former Minister Cho and Professor Jung are on trial for receiving internship certificates from Choi to help build their daughter's credentials.

With the first trial court judging the internship certificates as false, it is expected to have an impact on the upcoming trials of the Cho couple.

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