Cho Kuk: "I Didn't Write the Book to Enter Politics... I'm Just a Sinner Trapped in a Thorny Bush"

Former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] Amid divided opinions within the political sphere regarding former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk's memoir "Cho Kuk's Time," on the 30th, Cho stated, "The reason I wrote this book is neither to engage in political activities nor to interfere in political processes."

On the same day, in a post on his Facebook, Cho said, "Currently, I am merely a 'Wiri Anchi' (圍籬安置 - a practice of enclosing the residence of an exiled criminal with a thorny fence to confine them) 'Geuksu' (棘囚 - a prisoner trapped within thorny bushes)."

He explained, "It is a precise record of the 'incident' that occurred after my nomination as Minister of Justice on August 9, 2019, and at the same time, the minimal explanation and justification I had not been able to provide until now."

He added, "While once again declaring my unlimited political and moral responsibility as a high-ranking public official, I also criticized and warned against the prosecution, which is a 'living power,' for its reckless behavior and abuse of authority," and said, "I hope readers will read carefully and offer scolding and correction (叱正 - reproach to rectify)."

Book 'The Time of Jo Guk'. Photo by Jo Guk, former Minister of Justice, Facebook screenshot.

Earlier, on the 27th, Cho announced the publication of his book "Cho Kuk's Time" through his Facebook, saying, "After a long period of reflection and self-restraint, I cautiously prepared this book."

In particular, Cho expressed to his supporters, "The historic tasks such as the establishment of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials and the adjustment of investigative authority between the police and prosecution were achieved thanks to you," and pledged, "Although a difficult path still remains, I will walk it silently and persistently."

In response, the opposition parties criticized Cho, accusing him of publishing the book to rally his support base. Yoon Hee-sook, a member of the People Power Party, wrote on her Facebook the day before, "Regarding Cho Kuk's book, ruling party presidential candidates are rushing to offer words of comfort and empathy," adding, "They ignore the people and only focus on the hardline supporters who chant 'Even if my head is broken, Cho Kuk.'"

She continued, "However, voters are the entire population. Our people have now moved past the time of frustration and entered a time of evaluation," and said, "The presidential election is nine months away. I want to see presidential candidates gather and seriously wrestle with the theme of 'What is fairness in our era?' through Cho Kuk's book."

Former People Power Party lawmaker Yoo Seung-min also posted on Facebook, stating, "Cho Kuk is a symbol of unfairness, illegality, lies, and hypocrisy," and "The Cho Kuk incident revealed the bottom of pseudo-progressives, and because of this, public sentiment has turned away from them."

He added, "The more they sing the 'Cho hymn' loudly, the colder public sentiment will become," and criticized, "If they sing the 'Cho hymn' unwillingly because of the extreme pro-Moon Jae-in supporters despite knowing the fierce public sentiment, such people are not even qualified to engage in politics."

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