'Psychiatric Evaluation of Cho Yang-rae' Consecutively Rejected by University Hospitals... Will the Hanta Family Sibling Feud End Within the Year?

Possibility of Reduced Court Procedures Due to Review of Medical Records and Other Documents

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] There is a growing prospect that the sibling feud within the Cho family, owners of Hankook Tire, which had expanded to include a guardianship trial for Chairman Cho Yang-rae of Korea & Company, could be resolved within this year. This is because, amid the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, university hospitals have successively refused to conduct mental evaluations of Chairman Cho, increasing the likelihood that the court will simplify the procedure by reviewing medical records and other documents.

According to the legal and industry circles on the 10th, Bundang Seoul National University Hospital submitted documents to the Seoul Family Court yesterday stating that it is unable to proceed with the mental evaluation of Chairman Cho. The court had designated Bundang Seoul National University Hospital as the hospital responsible for Chairman Cho’s mental evaluation and sent a request for evaluation earlier last month. Initially, Bundang Seoul National University Hospital was the hospital preferred by Cho Hee-kyung, Chairman Cho’s eldest daughter and director of the Hankook Tire Foundation, who filed the petition for limited guardianship.

With Bundang Seoul National University Hospital also refusing to conduct Chairman Cho’s mental evaluation this time, it is highly likely that the court will simplify the process by reviewing medical records and other documents. Previously, the court had designated the National Center for Mental Health, Severance Hospital at Yonsei University, and Ajou University Hospital as evaluation hospitals, but all declined citing their designation as COVID-19 dedicated hospitals.

Among the court’s affiliated hospitals, Seoul Asan Medical Center, which has not yet received the evaluation request documents, recently began expanding its beds to accommodate COVID-19 intensive care patients, so it is uncertain whether it has the capacity to proceed with Chairman Cho’s evaluation. Moreover, the court held a second hearing on October 10, during which it discussed the designation of the mental evaluation hospital with Chairman Cho and the petitioner, Director Cho, and subsequently concluded the procedural hearing.

According to the Family Litigation Act, a medical evaluation by a doctor is required to initiate limited guardianship for the ward, but the court may simplify the procedure by reviewing medical records based on its discretion. An industry insider said, "At the second hearing, the court indicated that if Bundang Seoul National University Hospital also refuses, it would review Chairman Cho’s medical examination documents and conclude the case," adding, "In that case, the family feud of the Hankook Tire owner family will end within this year."

If the trial concludes this time, the family feud will effectively end 1 year and 5 months after Chairman Cho’s eldest daughter, Cho Hee-kyung, director of the Hankook Tire Sharing Foundation, filed the petition for limited guardianship. In June last year, Chairman Cho sold 23.59% of the shares of the holding company Korea & Company to his second son, President Cho Hyun-bum, through an off-hours block trade, and in July, Director Cho filed the petition for limited guardianship against Chairman Cho. At that time, Director Cho argued, "My father made decisions that differ from his previous beliefs and thoughts," and "It is necessary to determine whether these decisions were made voluntarily."

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