Justice Jo Jae-yeon of the Supreme Court, suspected in the 'Daejang-dong Geubun' case, to hold a press conference this afternoon... "Will clarify suspicions" (Comprehensive)

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] Cho Jae-yeon, a Supreme Court Justice suspected as 'that person' in the 'Jung Young-hak recording'?a key clue in the Daejang-dong development preferential treatment and lobbying allegations?will announce his position on the 23rd.

According to the legal community, Justice Cho will hold a press conference at the Supreme Court at 2 p.m. that day to present his stance regarding the allegations raised so far.

A Supreme Court official explained, "Justice Cho will explain the recent series of media reports and answer all questions people may have."

Justice Cho has been embroiled in controversy as Kim Man-bae, a key member in the Daejang-dong allegations, mentioned in the recordings that he intended to provide a villa worth about 5 billion won. The suspicion that Justice Cho was involved in the Daejang-dong case first surfaced in October last year, but it resurfaced recently when the Korea Times disclosed the recordings of accountant Jung Young-hak submitted to the prosecution, reporting that 'that person' is a sitting Supreme Court Justice.

In the disclosed recording (dated February 4, 2021), Kim said to accountant Jung Young-hak, "That person was the chief judge in the trial, and the chief judge doesn't put anything into the bench. That person does everything, so I originally planned to make 5 billion won and buy a villa for him." Justice Cho is suspected to be the 'that person' mentioned here, as he served as the head of the Court Administration Office from January 2019 to May 2021.

Last year, allegations also arose that Kim provided accommodation for Justice Cho's daughter, who is married to a diplomat, during her stay in Korea. This was based on the fact that Justice Cho held the influential position of head of the Court Administration Office at the Supreme Court when the public official election law violation case of Lee Jae-myung, then Governor of Gyeonggi Province and now the Democratic Party presidential candidate, was concluded with a not guilty verdict.

Justice Cho, Kim’s legal representatives, and other involved parties strongly deny these allegations.

Justice Cho stated, "I do not know Kim, have no memory of meeting him, nor do I have his phone number. I do not have a daughter who is a diplomat, nor a son-in-law who is a diplomat, and I have no daughter or son-in-law living abroad. To raise such allegations, there must be clues, but there are none at all. These are groundless."

The prosecution investigating the Daejang-dong allegations is also known to have concluded that Kim’s statements related to Justice Cho lack substance.

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