Choi Kang-wook Also Guilty of Election Law Violation... Court Says "Cho Kuk's Son Did Not Intern"

[Asia Economy Reporters Seongpil Cho and Daehyun Kim] On the 8th, the court sentenced Choi Kang-wook, leader of the Open Democratic Party, who was indicted for publicly announcing false information related to the issuance of an internship certificate for the son of former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk during the election campaign period of the April 15 general election last year. The court once again acknowledged that the internship certificate for Cho’s son was falsely issued. There is a growing view that the possibility of a guilty verdict on related charges in Cho’s trial has increased.

Choi Kang-wook, leader of the Open Democratic Party, who was prosecuted for writing a false internship confirmation letter for the son of former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk and denying the allegations with false explanations during the election campaign, is attending the first trial sentencing hearing held on the 8th at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

"Did not intern... constitutes public announcement of false information"

The Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 21-2 (Presiding Judge Kim Sang-yeon) on the morning of the 8th sentenced Choi, who was indicted without detention for violating the Public Official Election Act, to a fine of 800,000 KRW. If the sentence is finalized as a fine lower than the prosecution’s demand (3 million KRW), Choi will retain his seat as a member of the National Assembly. Elected public officials lose their election if a fine of 1 million KRW or more is finalized for violating the Public Official Election Act. Choi previously served as the Secretary for Public Discipline at the Blue House under the current administration and was elected as a proportional representative in last year’s general election.

The court judged that Cho’s son did not actually intern. Nevertheless, it found that Choi appeared on an internet broadcast and publicly announced false information for the purpose of election. The court pointed out, “The defendant must have known better than anyone else that Cho’s son did not intern,” and added, “There is a high risk that voters’ fair judgment regarding the candidate’s ability and qualifications was impaired.” However, the court explained the sentencing by stating, “Considering the Open Democratic Party’s support rate and the defendant’s ballot number, it is difficult to see that this crime decisively influenced the defendant’s election or seriously undermined election fairness.”

Three ongoing trials... a relay of guilty verdicts

Choi is accused of publicly announcing false information that the internship certificate for Cho’s son was falsely issued, which is different from the facts, by appearing on an internet podcast before last year’s general election. At the time, Choi said on the podcast, “He (Cho’s son) interned at our office since high school.” The prosecution judged this statement as a public announcement of false information for election purposes and brought him to trial, and the court recognized its legitimacy on this day.

Besides this case, Choi is facing two other trials. He is currently undergoing a first trial for defamation, accused of fabricating statements by former reporter Lee Dong-jae related to the Channel A case and spreading them on social media. The trial regarding the charge of obstructing graduate school admissions by issuing a false internship certificate to Cho’s son is currently in the second trial stage due to Choi’s appeal. In the previous first trial, he was sentenced to eight months in prison with a two-year probation.

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

Inevitable impact on Cho Kuk’s trial

The reason Choi is facing multiple trials is that the prosecution’s investigation into former Minister Cho Kuk two years ago served as a catalyst. During the investigation of Cho, the prosecution uncovered that Choi, who was working as a lawyer at the law firm Cheongmaek in October 2017, issued a false internship certificate to Cho’s son. When indicting Cho, the prosecution also included the charge that Cho received a false internship certificate from Choi for his son.

Choi has denied the charge of issuing a false internship certificate to Cho’s son. After the verdict was announced on this day, he said, “I will prove and refute each of the many misjudgments and incorrect interpretations through the relevant procedures.” However, Choi’s claims remain far from the court’s judgments so far, including this day. Accordingly, there is talk that the possibility of a guilty verdict on related charges in Cho’s trial has increased. Cho’s trial will continue on the 11th.

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