Supreme Court Plenary Session to Deliver Verdict on Choi Kang-wook's Final Appeal Today... Loss of Parliamentary Seat if Prison Sentence Confirmed

Allegation of False Internship Certificate Issuance by Cho Kuk's Son
Suddenly Referred to Full Bench, Pending at Supreme Court for 1 Year 4 Months
1st and 2nd Trial: 8 Months Imprisonment with 2 Years Probation... 'Loss of Assembly Membership' Sentence

The Supreme Court's final ruling on Rep. Choi Kang-wook of the Democratic Party, who was sentenced to a suspended prison term in the first and second trials for issuing a 'false internship certificate' to the son of former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk, will be announced on the 18th.

In the Supreme Court plenary session ruling held six days before Chief Justice Kim Myung-soo's retirement, if the second trial verdict, which recognized guilt for obstruction of business and sentenced him to eight months in prison with a two-year suspension, is upheld, Rep. Choi will lose his seat and be barred from running in next year's general election.

On April 24th, Choi Kang-wook, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, is attending the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-dong, Seoul.

On the 18th at 2 p.m., the Supreme Court plenary session will deliver its verdict on Rep. Choi, who was prosecuted for obstruction of business, at the Supreme Court courtroom in Seocho-gu, Seoul. This comes three years and eight months after his indictment in January 2020. Since the appellate court ruling in May last year, Rep. Choi's case has been pending at the Supreme Court for one year and four months.

Inside and outside the legal community, there is keen interest in the background behind Chief Justice Kim, who holds the authority to set the plenary session's ruling schedule, choosing Rep. Choi's case as his de facto last plenary session ruling before his retirement on the 24th. The current plenary session, composed of 13 justices including Chief Justice Kim, is classified as seven conservative-to-moderate and six progressive justices.

If the plenary session issues a ruling (remand) that does not recognize the evidentiary validity of the PC containing the internship certificate issued by Rep. Choi during his time as a lawyer to former Minister Cho's son, as well as text messages exchanged between Rep. Choi, Cho's son, and Cho's wife, former Dongyang University professor Jung Kyung-shim, it would overturn Rep. Choi's lower court rulings and significantly impact the second trial of former Minister Cho, who was indicted on charges including admission fraud involving his children and sentenced to two years in prison in the first trial. This PC was used by former Professor Jung at her home and was hidden by instructing her asset manager Kim Kyung-rok to conceal it.

Earlier, in January last year, the Supreme Court's Second Division (Presiding Justice Cheon Dae-yeop), which handled former Professor Jung's case, ruled that the evidentiary validity of the Dongyang University PC, a similar issue, was recognized.

Initially, Rep. Choi's case was assigned to the Supreme Court's First Division (Presiding Justice Oh Kyung-mi) in September last year and was under review. However, it was first revealed this June that the case was suddenly referred to the plenary session, though the exact referral date was not disclosed. If the four-justice panel fails to reach a consensus, the case can be escalated to the plenary session.

This case not only affects whether Rep. Choi retains his seat but also influences his candidacy in the April general election next year. Depending on the verdict, Rep. Choi's fate will be decided. If the plenary session upholds the lower court's judgment, Rep. Choi will lose his seat under the Public Official Election Act, which stipulates that a confirmed prison sentence of imprisonment or higher (including suspended sentences) results in loss of office, and he will be barred from running in elections during the suspension period.

Rep. Choi was indicted for issuing a false internship certificate in October 2017 to Cho's son, Jo, while working as a lawyer at the law firm Cheongmaek, thereby obstructing the graduate school's admission process to which Jo applied. The first and second trials recognized Rep. Choi's guilt and sentenced him to eight months in prison with a two-year suspension.

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