Law "Prosecutors Must Return the Seized Hard Disk to Cho Kuk"

Former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] The court has accepted the provisional return request for seized items filed by former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk, who is accused of 'child admission corruption,' seeking the return of items seized during a past search.

According to the legal community on the 9th, the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 21-1 (Presiding Judges Ma Seongyoung, Kim Sangyeon, Jang Yongbeom) approved Cho's request for the provisional return of seized items.

Previously, Cho Kuk filed the provisional return request on October 13. The items requested for return were computer hard disks seized from the drawer of Cho's office at Seoul National University by the prosecution.

The provisional return system refers to returning seized items on the condition that they are necessary for investigation or must be submitted as evidence to the court. Since it is a temporary disposition, the effect of the seizure itself does not disappear.

Cho Kuk was first indicted in December 2019 on charges related to admission corruption involving his wife, former Dongyang University professor Jeong Gyeongsim, and their children. In January of the following year, he was additionally indicted on charges related to allegations of suppressing the investigation into former Busan Deputy Mayor for Economic Affairs Yoo Jaesoo, and he is currently undergoing trial in the first instance.

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