Yoon Spokesperson on Jung Kyung-shim's 4-Year Prison Sentence: "Feels Like the Movie 'Parasite'... Does President Moon Still Owe a 'Debt of Heart' to Cho Kuk?"

Kim Byung-min, spokesperson for Yoon Seok-yeol, a preliminary candidate in the People Power Party primary election campaign.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] Regarding the sentencing of Jeong Gyeong-sim, spouse of former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk and a professor at Dongyang University, to four years in prison in the second trial, Kim Byung-min, spokesperson for Yoon Seok-yeol, the People Power Party’s presidential primary candidate, mentioned President Moon Jae-in and asked, "Do you still carry a debt in your heart?"

On the 11th, Spokesperson Kim released a statement titled "Will you remain trapped in Cho Kuk’s time despite Jeong Gyeong-sim’s second trial conviction?" He said, "All seven career verification documents of (their daughter) Cho Min, which became a key issue in Professor Jeong’s second trial, were revealed to be false," adding, "In particular, the second trial court reaffirmed the forgery by former Minister Cho and the collusion of Professor Jeong regarding the internship certificate from Seoul National University, where Cho previously worked."

He continued, "The admission corruption by the Cho family, who took education as a 'ladder of opportunity' and worked hard, shattered the public’s belief in 'fairness,'" and criticized, "Who would have imagined that the couple, including the Minister of Justice of the Republic of Korea, manipulated various documents in the past to involve themselves in their child’s fraudulent admission, like a scene from the movie 'Parasite'?"

Spokesperson Kim also criticized the political circles that defended former Minister Cho. He pointed out, "Despite numerous pieces of evidence revealed through the prosecution’s investigation and the confirmation of guilt in the first trial, many politicians ignored the court’s judgment and facts," and added, "Former Minister Cho recently published a book titled 'Cho Kuk’s Time' addressing related matters as political attacks, and politicians in the ruling party who responded to this remain unchanged."

He then demanded statements from President Moon and ruling party members. Spokesperson Kim said, "I ask President Moon, who once said he had a 'debt in his heart' after Cho’s resignation, whether he still carries that debt as he watches today’s second trial verdict," and "I also ask Kim Nam-guk, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, who said he felt 'choked and unable to breathe' when Professor Jeong was detained, whether he still finds it difficult to breathe. Furthermore, I urge Lee Jae-myung, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, who has remained silent on the Cho Kuk incident, to show a clear stance now that the second trial verdict for Professor Jeong has been issued."

Additionally, Spokesperson Kim emphasized, "Our politics must no longer be trapped in 'Cho Kuk’s time,' betraying the public’s sense of fairness and common sense," and stressed, "We respect the court’s judgment that no power or vested interest can be an exception in the face of admission corruption that undermines the 'fair opportunity for the people,' and we urge everyone to work together to establish strict institutional reforms so that such illegal acts can never take root again."

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