Trial of Jo Guk couple on 'admission corruption' charges resumes today after 5 months

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] The trial of former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk and former Dongyang University professor Jung Kyungshim, who are accused of 'children's admission corruption,' will resume on the 3rd after about five months.

On that morning, the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 21-1 (Presiding Judge Ma Seongyoung, Judges Kim Jeonggon and Jang Yongbeom) will conduct a continuation hearing for the former minister and his wife.

Previously, the prosecution filed a motion to disqualify the trial panel citing 'biased proceedings,' but after being dismissed twice, they ultimately gave up on re-appealing. As a result, the existing trial panel will continue to hear the case.

The trial of the former minister and his wife had not been held since January 14, when the prosecution filed a motion to disqualify the trial panel, claiming "the panel is making a biased conclusion against the defendants and proceeding with the trial based on that." The biggest reason for the prosecution's motion was the panel's decision to exclude evidence such as the Dongyang University lounge PC, following the former professor's side's claim that "the evidence was illegally seized and thus inadmissible."

The panel's decision was based on a ruling by the Supreme Court's full bench in November last year. In a case where a victim of illegal filming had the perpetrator's mobile phone and submitted it to the police, the court ruled that "seizure of voluntarily submitted items without ensuring the participation of the parties is illegal," and did not recognize the evidence's admissibility.

However, earlier this year, the Supreme Court upheld the lower court's ruling recognizing the evidentiary value of the Dongyang University PC and confirmed a four-year prison sentence for former professor Jung, who was separately indicted on charges including obstruction of business and violation of the Capital Markets Act.

Meanwhile, ahead of the trial resumption, the prosecution dispatched Deputy Chief Prosecutor Kang Baeksin of the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Office, who is in charge of maintaining the indictment in this case, to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office. Deputy Chief Prosecutor Kang led the Supreme Court's guilty verdict for former professor Jung. Two assistant prosecutors involved in the trial were also dispatched.

This decision is a measure to fill the work gap caused by recent prosecution personnel changes. Prosecutor Ko Hyungkong, who originally led the investigation and indictment maintenance of this case as head of the Anti-Corruption Investigation Division 2 at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, was recently promoted to the 4th Deputy Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, making it difficult for him to participate in the trial.

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