Cho Kuk "Respecting children's decisions... Will explain with a more humble attitude in the second trial"

Former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk said on the 17th, "After much consideration, my child has given up all degrees and qualifications connected to the problematic documents," adding, "It is painful, but I respect (my child's) determination to make a fresh start from scratch."

That afternoon, former Minister Cho appeared at the first appellate trial hearing held by the Seoul High Court Criminal Division 13 (Presiding Judges Kim Woo-su, Kim Jin-ha, and Lee In-soo) and made these remarks to the press.

Former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk, who was indicted on charges of 'children's admission corruption and allegations of covering up inspections,' is attending the first hearing of the second trial held at the Seoul High Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul on the 17th, expressing his position.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

He said, "Since I was nominated as Minister of Justice, I have apologized to the public several times whenever I had the opportunity. I would like to express my apologies once again," and added, "After the Supreme Court confirmed the guilt of my wife, former Professor Jeong Gyeong-shim, the parties involved and our family are humbly accepting this and reflecting on ourselves." He also expressed support for the decisions of his daughter, Cho Min, and son, Cho Won, who gave up all degrees and qualifications related to the admission fraud charges.

Regarding some speculations about the possibility of former Minister Cho's political activities, he said, "There are many people writing novels based on groundless imagination and speculation about my future. I will take care of my battered family and continue to reflect deeply on the past and present," adding, "I will make a sincere explanation with a humble attitude in this appellate trial."

At the first appellate trial hearing on the same day, the prosecutor and the defendant's lawyers are expected to present their reasons for appeal and positions on the charges. In the legal community, there was keen interest in what stance former Minister Cho's side would take in court regarding the children's admission fraud charges. This is because the prosecution has stated its intention to decide on the judicial processing of the children after confirming Cho's position during the appellate trial and considering various circumstances. A Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office official said on the 13th, "It is necessary to confirm not only Cho Min's position but also the positions of co-conspirators former Minister Cho and former Professor Jeong regarding the indictment," and added that they would review various factors such as Cho Min's attitude of remorse, the Supreme Court ruling's intent, and the extent of involvement.

Earlier, the prosecution indicted former Minister Cho on a total of 12 charges related to his children's admission fraud (obstruction of business, forgery and use of false official documents, forgery of private documents, etc.) and his daughter's scholarship fraud (bribery) from late 2019 to early 2020. In the first trial on February 1, former Minister Cho was sentenced to two years in prison. Most of the admission fraud charges were upheld. Former Professor Jeong, who was sentenced to four years in prison by the Supreme Court last year for charges related to Cho Min, was additionally indicted for charges related to Cho Won and received a one-year prison sentence in the first trial along with former Minister Cho in this case.

The Supreme Court's final ruling on former Professor Jeong and the first trial court's judgment on former Minister Cho both recognized Cho Min's "conspiratorial relationship," making it difficult for the prosecution to dismiss charges against Cho Min regardless of whether former Minister Cho admits to the charges. 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 Pusan National University School of Medicine expires on the 26th of next month.

Meanwhile, Cho Min, who had filed administrative lawsuits against the cancellation of her admission, recently withdrew all lawsuits before the first appellate hearing against Pusan National University School of Medicine, where she lost in the first trial, and the first trial against Korea University, stating, "I will seriously consider my future, where I can contribute to society as a citizen of the Republic of Korea with a sense of social responsibility."

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