Supporters Collecting Signatures for Petition Claiming "Certificate Forgery Is a Custom" by the Cho Kuk Couple

'Pro-Joguk' Former Lawmaker Choi Kang-wook Shares Petition Page
Social Criticism and Heavy Sentences Excessive Compared to Crime Severity

Supporters of former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk are collecting signatures for a petition to the court, asking for leniency for Cho and his wife Jung Kyung-shim ahead of the appellate court ruling on charges including their children's admission fraud.

On the 23rd, Choi Kang-wook, a former lawmaker classified as pro-Cho Kuk, shared a Google Docs page titled 'Petition for Professor Cho Kuk and Professor Jung Kyung-shim' on his Facebook with the message "Please!"

Former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk is speaking at a political talk show titled "South Korea, What Kind of Country Should We Become: Reform Alliance New Party, Planning Victory in the General Election and Progressive Governance," held on the evening of the 22nd at Hebrus in Sinchon, Seoul.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

The petition is authored by "Citizens hoping for leniency for defendants Cho Kuk and Jung Kyung-shim," and addressed to "Honorable Chief Judge Kim Woo-soo and Judges Kim Jin-ha and Lee In-soo."

They stated, "We are citizens engaged in various livelihoods across the country, submitting this petition hoping for leniency for defendants Cho Kuk and Jung Kyung-shim currently on trial before your honorable court. We are busy managing our daily lives and know only what has been reported in the media about this case. However, as average citizens of our society, we appeal to the presiding judge based on common sense and conscience."

In the petition, they wrote, "Defendants Cho Kuk and Jung Kyung-shim, along with their daughter and son, have endured unprecedented hardships for four and a half years since 2019, to the extent described as '멸문지화' (destruction of a family line)." They added, "Seeing this, we felt a fear that anyone who falls out of favor with the prosecution for any reason could become a target of brutal investigation."

They continued, "It is very unfortunate for our society that the enforcement of law becomes an object of fear and terror rather than trust and respect. The only institution that can correct this and control excessive exercise of prosecutorial power is the court," appealing to the judiciary.

They acknowledged that the Cho couple did wrong but argued that social condemnation was excessive compared to the magnitude of their mistakes, claiming that document forgery for children's admissions was a 'custom.'

They also stated, "Even if it is blameworthy that intellectuals who should set an example followed such customs without criticism, we do not know if it is a crime severe enough to warrant heavy punishment. After the first trial, the defendants' two children voluntarily returned their degrees and medical licenses, and it is excessive for parents to receive heavy sentences due to their children's actions."

Petition letter for the couple Cho Kuk shared by former lawmaker Choi Kang-wook on Google Docs. [Photo by former lawmaker Choi Kang-wook]

Finally, they wrote, "Please also consider that the two defendants have publicly expressed deep remorse several times both inside and outside the courtroom since the case began. We earnestly ask you to prove that the law, while addressing past wrongs, embraces and does not abandon those who seek the path of humanity through deep reflection."

Earlier, the first trial found Cho Kuk guilty on six out of seven charges related to his children's admission fraud and sentenced him to two years in prison with a fine of 6 million won. His wife Jung, who was sentenced to four years for their daughter's admission fraud, received an additional one-year sentence.

The court stated, "The crimes of admission fraud were committed repeatedly over several years by abusing the status of a university professor. The motive and nature of the crimes are bad, and the crimes severely damaged public trust in the fairness of the admission system, thus the culpability is heavy."

On the 18th, the prosecution requested five years in prison, a fine of 12 million won, and a confiscation of 6 million won for Cho Kuk at the appellate trial's closing arguments. For his wife Jung Kyung-shim, the prosecution sought a two-year prison sentence, viewing Cho Kuk's responsibility as greater in this case.

The appellate court ruling for the Cho couple is scheduled for February 8 next year.

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