Cho Kuk Waiting for Restoration of Honor... "Republic of Korea Becoming Republic of Prosecutors"

Daughter Jomin's Indictment: "Father Feels Hurt"
"After Trial, Freedom of Movement Will Expand"

Former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk expressed his sorrow as a father over his daughter Cho Min being indicted without detention on charges of 'admission fraud.' In particular, Cho Kuk claimed that South Korea is becoming a "Daehan-gumguk" (a pun implying a corrupted version of the Republic of Korea).

On the 11th, Cho appeared on the YouTube channel 'Saenal' and said, "(Cho Min) decided from a young age to become an emergency medicine doctor and even went to Africa for medical volunteer work before entering medical school," adding, "As you know, she volunteered at her mother's school and submitted a certificate of commendation given by her mother, but that certificate became an issue, and suddenly she lost both her school status and medical license."

He continued, "As a father, putting everything aside, I am upset, and it hurts even more that she was indicted just for submitting the certificate of commendation," adding, "My daughter will soon have to stand in court, and having to watch that is very frustrating."

Cho criticized, "Before my daughter's indictment, the prosecution held two press briefings saying, 'If the father confesses, the daughter may not be indicted.' I am very skeptical about whether the prosecution's exercise of power in this manner is allowed under our country's constitution and democracy."

He further stated, "During the military dictatorship era, people were literally tortured with fists, water torture, and electric shocks, but that era is over," and claimed, "Currently, the Republic of Korea uses its legal authority to the fullest extent to corner citizens and force them into disadvantageous statements."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

In response to the host's kind words that "a day will come when your honor will be restored over time," he replied, "We have to wait."

Regarding his future plans, he said, "I still don't know what life after being a writer will be like. I cannot know where the goddess of fate will lead me," adding, "As the trial gradually concludes, I expect to have more freedom of movement. For now, I am focusing on my life as a writer and taking care of my family, but once the trial is over and my shackles are removed, I hope and wish to show a freer path."

Earlier, Cho Kuk also mentioned restoring his honor last month. On the 22nd of last month, he appeared on the YouTube channel 'Ddanji Broadcasting Station' on the program 'Kim Eo-jun's Das Bweida' and, when asked about running in the general election, he was reserved, saying, "I have a trial ahead and need to take care of my family," but also responded, "I think I need to restore my honor and am considering how to do that." This led some to analyze that he might be leaving open the possibility of running in the general election.

When host Kim Eo-jun asked, "Don't you have a role in politics?" Cho replied, "I am currently attending trial once a month. I also need to take care of my family," but added, "Friends and comrades have made various proposals, but the second trial will likely continue until the end of the year or early next year. Until then, I think I should focus on the trial and taking care of my family."

When Kim pressed again, saying, "(One way to restore honor) is running for office," Cho answered, "There is certainly a personal and family aspect to restoring my honor. It would be a lie if there wasn't," and continued, "Since the Yoon Seok-yeol government has taken a far-right turn, I think I have a responsibility as a former high-ranking official of the Moon Jae-in administration. I will just say that I am also thinking about how to stop this reckless course."

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