Court Orders Submission of Expert Opinion on Chairman Cho Yang-rae's Mental Health

Eldest Daughter Jo Hee-kyung, Chairperson's Side: "Emotions Could Not Be Properly Processed Due to COVID-19... Procedures Must Be Officially Conducted"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] The court has ordered the submission of expert opinions on the medical records of Cho Yang-rae, Honorary Chairman of Korea & Company Group, whose adult guardianship trial is currently underway.

According to the legal and industry circles on the 22nd, the Seoul Family Court issued a "miscellaneous order" on the 20th, instructing the submission of expert opinions on the medical records of Honorary Chairman Cho, which had already been submitted to the court, and delivered this to the parties involved in the case. This is because university hospitals refused to conduct inpatient examinations of Honorary Chairman Cho due to the prolonged spread of COVID-19.

So far, the National Center for Mental Health, Severance Hospital at Yonsei University, Ajou University Hospital, and Bundang Seoul National University Hospital were designated as institutions for psychiatric evaluation of Honorary Chairman Cho, but all these hospitals have stated that "evaluation cannot proceed."

According to the Family Mediation Act, in a limited guardianship commencement trial, the court can decide on the commencement of guardianship based on documents alone without conducting inpatient evaluation, after coordinating with the ward and the petitioner. In this case, the decision period can be shorter than with inpatient evaluation.

However, the petitioner, Chairman Cho’s side, expressed regret over the court’s miscellaneous order, saying, "We are disappointed that the evaluation could not be properly conducted due to COVID-19," but also stated, "The court’s decision should be made after the evaluation procedure is formally carried out." They added, "The National Center for Mental Health, which was initially requested for evaluation, also expressed that although evaluation is difficult due to COVID-19, inpatient evaluation is necessary for an accurate assessment," and said, "We believe the court should proceed with the trial reasonably by accepting such opinions."

The adult guardianship trial for Honorary Chairman Cho began on July 30 last year, initiated by his eldest daughter, Cho Hee-kyung, Director of the Korea Tire Sharing Foundation. This was in response to Honorary Chairman Cho’s sale of all shares of the holding company, Korea Technology Group, to his second son, Cho Hyun-beom, Group Chairman, in June last year.

Earlier, in the group’s regular personnel announcement made that day, Korea & Company Group appointed Cho Hyun-beom, President of Korea & Company, as Group Chairman, and elevated Honorary Chairman Cho to Honorary Chairman status. Cho Hyun-sik, the eldest son of Honorary Chairman Cho and older brother of Chairman Cho, moved to an advisory position. As Chairman Cho strengthened his control over the group, the long-standing management dispute over Hankook Tire has effectively come to an end.

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