Jokuk and Jeong Gyeongshim Apologize for Children's Admission Scandal... "Reflecting on Parents' Negligence and Mistakes" (Comprehensive)

Prosecutors: "Conflicting Positions on Same Charges for Former Minister Cho Kuk and Cho Min"

Former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk and former Dongyang University professor Jung Kyung-shim once again expressed their apologies to the public regarding their children's admission fraud issue.

In a statement released on the 23rd, the two said, "After our daughter's investigation by the prosecution, the prosecution is demanding through the media that the parents also express their position," adding, "It is unusual for the defendant to express their position outside the courtroom regarding the indictment, but we respect the prosecution's request and hereby state as follows."

From the left, Jeong Gyeong-sim, former professor at Dongyang University, and Cho Kuk, former Minister of Justice.

They stated, "Our children have all given up or returned degrees and qualifications connected to the charges of admission fraud or cases where they were convicted, and have also withdrawn related lawsuits," adding, "Since this matter caused legal and social controversy, we have decided to discard everything and start anew from scratch as a form of self-reflection."

They also said, "We reflect on the fact that as parents, we were at fault and negligent," and added, "Although we have publicly apologized to the nation several times since 2019, we would like to once again express our apologies to the public on this occasion."

They continued, "We will sincerely clarify and explain in court how the problematic documents were created, issued, and submitted, and the extent of each parent's involvement in this process," and stated, "We will take corresponding moral and legal responsibility."

This statement by the Cho couple appears to be intended to favorably influence the prosecution's decision on whether to indict their daughter Cho Min and son Cho Won. Former Minister Cho posted the statement on his Facebook page in the afternoon and delivered it to the press through his lawyer.

Earlier, on the 13th, the prosecution stated that "the attitudes of Cho Min and former Minister Cho are among the most important factors in deciding whether to indict Cho Min as an accomplice in admission fraud." The next day, Cho Min was summoned for investigation.

Since the statute of limitations for the charges of obstruction of official duties by deception and use of forged documents related to Cho Min's fraudulent application to Pusan National University Medical School expires on the 26th of next month, the prosecution intended to finalize their decision on judicial processing after confirming the positions of Cho Min and her father, former Minister Cho.

However, at the first appeal trial of the Cho couple held on the 17th, Cho's lawyer denied the charges, arguing that as a socially active father, it was difficult for him to know every move of his daughter, making it hard to consider him an accomplice in the admission fraud.

Regarding this position of former Minister Cho's side, a prosecution official said, "Through the summons investigation, we confirmed the specific intent and facts regarding Cho Min's changed position," adding, "We think that Cho Min and former Minister Cho hold conflicting positions on the same charges."

Contrary to former Minister Cho's court statements, it appears that Cho Min somewhat admitted to conspiring with her family in the admission fraud during the prosecution investigation.

While former Minister Cho shows remorse and acknowledges moral responsibility, he denies his legal responsibility regarding Cho Min's admission fraud, stating that he has fully entrusted the matter to former professor Jung, who has already been confirmed guilty by the Supreme Court. Attention is focused on what decision the prosecution will make.

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