"Impeach the Second Trial Court, Professor Jeong Gyeongshim Is Innocent" 청 Petition Emerges

Jung Kyung-shim, spouse of former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk, who was indicted on charges related to school admission fraud and private equity funds, was found guilty of admission fraud and other charges in the appellate court following the first trial and was sentenced to imprisonment.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] A Blue House petition has emerged calling for the impeachment of the second trial court that sentenced Professor Jeong Gyeong-sim of Dongyang University, wife of former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk, to four years in prison.

On the 11th, a petition titled "Petition to Impeach the Second Trial Court of Professor Jeong Gyeong-sim" was posted on the petition board. The petitioner, who identified themselves as a supporter of Professor Jeong Gyeong-sim, said, "After seeing the second trial verdict today (the 11th), I was so shocked, sad, and angry," and questioned, "How could the professor be sentenced to four years in prison? Was this a fair judgment?"

They added, "I had some expectations for the second trial court, but it was completely different from what I anticipated," and criticized, "What crime did Professor Jeong Gyeong-sim commit? Was there any concrete evidence proving her guilt throughout the trial?"

A Blue House petition requesting the impeachment of the second trial court that sentenced Jeong Gyeong-shim, a professor at Dongyang University and spouse of former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk, to four years in prison. Photo by Blue House petition board capture

They continued, "The prosecution and Yoon Seok-yeol politically retaliated with a forced indictment and targeted investigation," and said, "They insist on guilt despite no solid evidence of the forged certificate, and deny that the main figure in the seminar video is the daughter of former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk. Does this make any sense?" repeatedly expressing their inability to understand the court’s ruling.

Furthermore, they questioned, "Why must innocent people suffer and be detained? I absolutely cannot accept the second trial result for Professor Jeong Gyeong-sim," and asserted, "This is the will of the people. Please impeach the second trial court. Professor Jeong Gyeong-sim is innocent."

This petition has surpassed the preliminary consent of 100 people, and the National Petition Administrator is reviewing whether to make it public. Earlier on the 11th, the Seoul High Court Criminal Division 1-2 (Presiding Judges Eom Sang-pil, Shim Dam, Lee Seung-ryeon) sentenced Professor Jeong, who was indicted on a total of 15 charges including violations of the Capital Markets Act, to four years in prison, the same as the first trial. However, unlike the first trial which imposed a fine of 500 million KRW and a confiscation of about 140 million KRW, the appellate court reduced the fine to 50 million KRW and the confiscation to about 10 million KRW.

The appellate court stated, "She obstructed the admission screening work of an educational institution and seriously damaged our society’s trust in the fairness of the admission system," and, as in the first trial, judged all seven so-called '7 major specs' of her daughter Cho Min to be false, recognizing all related charges against Professor Jeong (such as obstruction of business) as guilty.

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