'First Trial Imprisonment' Cho Kuk, First Appeal Hearing Today... Focus on 'Admission Fraud' Position

Prosecutors Deciding Whether to Indict Daughter
"Also Confirming Position of Accomplice Couple Cho Kuk"

The first appeal trial of former Minister Cho and his wife, former Dongyang University professor Jung Kyung-shim, who were indicted on charges including 'children's admission fraud,' will be held on the 17th. As the prosecution, which is about to decide whether to indict their daughter Cho Min (32), stated that "it is necessary to confirm the positions of co-defendants former Minister Cho and former Professor Jung," attention is focused on what stance former Minister Cho will take in court.

On that afternoon, the 13th Criminal Division of the Seoul High Court (Presiding Judge Kim Woo-soo) will conduct the first trial of former Minister Cho and others, who were indicted on charges including bribery and abuse of authority. According to the defendant's attendance obligation, former Minister Cho must appear in court in person.

In the legal community, there is keen interest in what position former Minister Cho's side will reveal regarding the children's admission fraud charges in court. This is because the prosecution has announced its policy to confirm former Minister Cho's position during the appeal trial process and then comprehensively decide whether to prosecute the children. A Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office official said on the 13th, "It is necessary to confirm not only Cho's position but also the positions on the charges of co-defendants former Minister Cho and former Professor Jung," and added that they would decide on indictment after reviewing various factors such as Cho's attitude of remorse, the Supreme Court ruling's intent, and the extent of involvement.

From late 2019 to early 2020, the prosecution indicted former Minister Cho on a total of 12 charges related to children's admission fraud (obstruction of business, forgery and use of false official documents, forgery of private documents, etc.) and his daughter's fraudulent scholarship receipt (bribery). There are also charges of violating the Public Officials Ethics Act for failing to submit a blind trust and falsely reporting assets upon assuming the post of Senior Secretary to the President for Civil Affairs, and charges of abuse of authority and obstruction of rights for covering up the inspection of former Busan Deputy Mayor Yoo Jae-soo during his tenure as Senior Secretary.

Former Minister Cho was sentenced to two years in prison in the first trial in February. Most of the admission fraud charges were found guilty. Former Professor Jung, who was sentenced to four years in prison by the Supreme Court last year for admission fraud charges related to Cho Min, was additionally indicted for admission fraud related to her son and received a one-year prison sentence in the first trial along with former Minister Cho. The Supreme Court's final ruling on former Professor Jung recognized the forgery of Cho Min's Dongyang University certificate of commendation, and all 'seven major specs,' including the Seoul National University internship, were judged to be false. Both the Supreme Court and the first trial court of former Minister Cho acknowledged Cho Min's 'conspiracy relationship' in the admission fraud process.

On the 14th, the 5th Trial Division of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Kim Min-ah) reportedly summoned Cho Min as a suspect for investigation. This is interpreted as an effort to confirm any changes in her stance on the charges in order to decide on indictment before the statute of limitations expires. The statute of limitations (7 years) for the charges of obstruction of official duties by deception and use of forged private documents related to Cho Min's fraudulent application to the Busan National University Medical School expires on the 26th of next month.

Meanwhile, Cho Min recently withdrew lawsuits against the cancellation of her admissions to Korea University and Busan National University Medical School. After former Professor Jung's Supreme Court final ruling, Korea University and Busan National University Medical School canceled her admissions, and she filed administrative lawsuits in protest. The first trial result against Busan National University Medical School was a loss for Cho Min. Before the first hearing dates of the appeal against Busan National University Medical School and the first trial against Korea University, Cho Min withdrew all administrative lawsuits, stating, "I will seriously consider my future to contribute to society as a responsible citizen of the Republic of Korea."

Seung Jae-hyun, senior research fellow at the Korea Institute of Criminology and Justice, said, "The prosecution can consider non-prosecution measures such as suspension of indictment only if she admits her crimes and shows sincere remorse. Therefore, it seems that Cho Min was summoned to ask what the withdrawal of the administrative lawsuits means," and analyzed, "since the same facts cannot lead to different conclusions, the prosecution appears to have stated that it will also refer to whether former Minister Cho will contest the charges in court."

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