Cho Tae-yeol "No Deal in Forced Mobilization Trial"... Ruling and Opposition Clash in Hearing

Nomination Hearing for Cho Tae-yeol, Minister of Foreign Affairs
Dispute Over Allegations of Judicial Manipulation Involvement During Tenure as 2nd Vice Minister

Cho Tae-yeol, the nominee for Minister of Foreign Affairs, is responding to questions from lawmakers at the confirmation hearing held at the National Assembly on the 8th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

On the 8th, during the National Assembly confirmation hearing for Cho Tae-yeol, the nominee for Minister of Foreign Affairs, the ruling and opposition parties engaged in intense debate over allegations of judicial collusion related to forced labor cases during the Japanese colonial period. Cho stated that the Court Administration Office and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs discussed matters for national interest but denied any judicial misconduct.

Cho is suspected of having met with Lim Jong-heon, then Deputy Chief of the Court Administration Office, in 2015 when he was the Second Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, to discuss delays in trials involving victims of forced labor by Japan. The core allegation is that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs submitted a statement of opinion to the Supreme Court to intentionally delay the trials. Although the prosecution mentioned the meeting between Cho and former Deputy Lim in the indictment, Cho was not charged.

Regarding related questions, Cho said, "I cannot help but feel sorrow for those who suffered unfortunate harm," but added, "I do not agree with defining this as judicial misconduct. I did not engage in anything that could be called judicial collusion."

The ruling and opposition parties continued their fierce exchanges that day. The People Power Party defended Cho, stating that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs followed proper procedures, while the Democratic Party criticized Cho for causing great suffering to forced labor victims by delaying trials through judicial collusion.

People Power Party lawmaker Jeong Jin-seok said, "In countries like the United States or the United Kingdom, when diplomatic issues are related to litigation procedures, it is customary to seek and respect the opinions of the State Department or foreign authorities," adding, "Since the judiciary is also part of the state, the basic understanding is that the state should respond with one voice." He explained that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs submitting opinions to the court was a lawful act, not an intentional delay of trials.

Fellow party member Tae Young-ho also said, "There are financial and equity issues, and as rulings in favor of forced labor victims continue to emerge, the issue of support and compensation will grow," urging, "I ask the nominee to find a way to seek a political solution from the heads of state of both countries."

On the other hand, Democratic Party lawmaker Lee Yong-seon pointed out, "If the Ministry of Foreign Affairs received a model answer from the court based on reasonable grounds and justification to overturn the ruling and then conveyed it, couldn't this be interpreted as complete judicial collusion and rigging?" Lawmaker Kim Hong-gul also criticized, "I cannot help but think of the elders who passed away without waiting for 10 years due to delays in forced labor trials caused by Cho, former Deputy Lim, and Yoo Myung-hwan, legal advisor at Kim & Chang (former Minister of Foreign Affairs)."

Regarding the fact that Cho met Yoo Myung-hwan, former Minister and then legal representative of Japanese war crime companies, in November 2015, Cho acknowledged, "Since he was a senior and superior, we occasionally had lunch," but added, "I deliberately avoided this issue." In response to repeated criticism from the opposition, he said, "While I may not know about other issues, I cannot agree with defining this issue as judicial misconduct."

Cho Tae-yeol, the nominee for Minister of Foreign Affairs, is responding to questions from lawmakers at the confirmation hearing held at the National Assembly on the 8th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

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