Trial of Cho Kuk and Chung Kyung-shim couple on 'child admission bribery' charges... Daughter to testify today

Former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk (left) and Professor Jeong Gyeongshim of Dongyang University

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] Jo Min, the daughter of former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk and Dongyang University professor Jeong Gyeongshim, who are accused of 'child admission corruption,' will appear as a witness in their trial.

On the morning of the 25th, the Criminal Division 21-1 of the Seoul Central District Court (Presiding Judge Ma Seong-yeong) will summon Jo Min for witness examination at the 11th trial of former Minister Cho and Professor Jeong.

Earlier, on the 11th, the court accepted the prosecution's request to designate Jo Min and her brother Jo Won as witnesses. Although the defense counsel for former Minister Cho strongly opposed this, the court recognized the necessity of questioning Jo Min, who is directly involved in the admission corruption, and decided to call her as a witness at this trial. The examination of Jo Won will be scheduled for a later date.

However, similar to when former Minister Cho appeared as a witness in Professor Jeong's first trial in September last year and refused to answer all 300 questions, it is highly likely that Jo Min will also refuse to testify for most of the examination.

Article 148 of the current Criminal Procedure Act stipulates that "anyone may refuse to testify if there is a concern that the testimony may reveal facts that could lead to criminal prosecution, indictment, or a guilty verdict against themselves or their relatives."

Meanwhile, on the 22nd, Jo Min's side submitted an application for witness support procedures to the court. The witness support service is a system that allows witnesses to testify in a psychologically stable state by receiving support from a witness support officer, enabling them to appear confidentially without exposure to the outside.

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