Supreme Court Justice Jo Jae-yeon: "Daejang-dong Recording 'Geubun' Allegations Baseless... Will Submit Necessary Materials" (Comprehensive)

Cho Jae-yeon, Chairman of the Recommendation Committee for the National Assembly Public Official Corruption Investigation Office Chief Candidate, is attending the 3rd Recommendation Committee meeting held at the National Assembly on the 18th. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] On the 23rd, Supreme Court Justice Cho Jae-yeon, who was identified as 'that person' in the Jung Young-hak recording, a key clue in the preferential treatment and lobbying allegations related to the Daejang-dong development reported recently in the media, voluntarily held a press conference and denied all allegations surrounding him.

At the press conference held in the Supreme Court's main conference room, Justice Cho showed a printed article titled "'That person' appearing in the Jung Young-hak recording was a sitting Supreme Court justice" (Hankook Ilbo, February 18) and stated, "This is completely unfounded."

This is the first time a sitting Supreme Court justice has directly held a press conference to clarify their position.

He said, "Regarding the Daejang-dong suspicion case, which has become a political controversy, I wondered why such suspicious articles were suddenly reported just before the election," and emphasized, "I do not know whether the true identity of 'that person' in Daejang-dong has been clarified or whether the suspicions have been resolved."

He continued, "Although such stories have circulated in political circles, I intended to remain silent given the serious period ahead of the presidential election," but since the controversy did not subside, he explained that he thought "it was right to clarify the matter in detail," which is why he requested the press conference.

Justice Cho said, "The day before yesterday, during a nationally broadcast debate, a candidate directly named a sitting Supreme Court justice, stating, 'It has now been confirmed that that person related to Hwacheon Daeyu is Supreme Court Justice Cho Jae-yeon,' mentioning the name of a sitting justice," adding, "To my recollection, this is an unprecedented and extraordinary event."

He also stated, "I have never met Kim Man-bae publicly or privately, nor have I had any acquaintance or phone calls with him," and "Not only with Kim Man-bae but also with anyone related to the Daejang-dong case, I have had no acquaintance or phone calls." Although he is an alumnus of Sungkyunkwan University like Kim, he said that alone cannot be a reason for suspicion.

Regarding the allegation that Kim provided housing to his daughter, Justice Cho said, "I have lived continuously for nearly 30 years at my current residence, where my daughters also live. One daughter married in 2016 and moved out to live in Seoul, another married last year and moved out to live in Jukjeon, and my youngest daughter lives with me," adding, "Neither I, my family, nor my relatives have purchased an apartment in Daejang-dong."

"I have never seen the recording, so I do not know if my name is explicitly mentioned," he explained, "I heard that the word 'that person' appears in the recording, and someone added 'Cho Jae-yeon?' in handwriting above it." He also said, "To my recollection, it has been nearly half a year since the Daejang-dong case was submitted to the prosecution, but during that time, I have never received a single contact, inquiry, or investigation request from the prosecution," and added, "If the prosecution deems it necessary, I hope they will summon me immediately."

Justice Cho emphasized, "If any institution, whether the Supreme Court or the prosecution, requests necessary documents such as my resident registration certificate, I will disclose them immediately. There is no reason to avoid it."

He said, "In the current presidential election situation, there are many disputes between the ruling and opposition parties regarding the Daejang-dong case. I will not comment on the statements of presidential candidates who mentioned my real name," but added, "I believe that acts that seriously damage the reputation of others must be strictly judged by the law, which aligns with the principles of justice." Regarding whether he will take legal action, he said, "For now, I can only say that it is under review."

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