Cho Kuk "Children's Admission Scandal, Parents' Negligence"... Prosecution "Unrelated to Criminal Responsibility"

Prosecutors Urge "Detailed Explanation of Accomplice Relationship" in Pressure on Jo Guk Couple
Jo Min's 'Fraudulent Admission' to Busan National University Medical School... Statute of Limitations Expires on 26th Next Month

Former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk and his wife issued a statement regarding their two children's admission fraud, acknowledging "parental negligence and mistakes," but the prosecution responded by saying, "This does not constitute an admission of criminal responsibility and is therefore not a consideration," effectively putting pressure on the couple.

Former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk, who was indicted on charges of 'children's admission corruption and allegations of inspection cover-up,' is attending the first hearing of the second trial held at the Seoul High Court in Seocho-gu on the 17th and is giving an interview to the press. [Image source=Yonhap News]

A representative from the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office stated on the 27th regarding the statement from the former minister and his wife, "The intention is to apologize to the public and to clarify the facts during the trial, but I think this is unrelated to whether criminal responsibility is admitted."

They added, "The investigation team emphasized that this is not a mere statement of position but a sincere reflection, and therefore a detailed explanation of the accomplice relationship and the circumstances of involvement is necessary," and further clarified, "Since they said they will clarify the facts during the trial as before, there is nothing in particular to review."

Earlier, on the 23rd, former Minister Cho Kuk and former Dongyang University professor Jeong Gyeong-sim released a statement to the media regarding the admission fraud allegations involving their children, Cho Min and Cho Won, saying, "We reflect on the fact that there was negligence and mistakes on our part as parents."

However, regarding the specific level of involvement demanded by the prosecution, they said, "We will sincerely clarify in court how the problematic documents were created, issued, and submitted, and the extent of each parent's involvement in this process."

The statute of limitations (7 years) for the charges of obstruction of official duties by deception and use of forged documents related to Cho Min's fraudulent application to the Pusan National University Medical School expires on the 26th of next month.

The charges against Cho Min for submitting false documents when applying to Seoul National University Medical School and against Cho Won for using a falsely prepared Seoul National University internship certificate in graduate school admissions are currently under appeal with co-defendant former Minister Cho Kuk, so the statute of limitations is suspended.

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