Jo Guk, Who Paid Tribute at Roh's Tomb in Bongha Village, Says "Will Be the Spark to End the Prosecutorial Dictatorship Regime"

Official General Election Candidacy Likely to Be Announced Tomorrow in Busan

Former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk visited the grave of the late former President Roh Moo-hyun on the last day of the Lunar New Year holiday, the 12th, and stated, "I will become a spark to bring an early end to the Yoon Seok-yeol prosecution dictatorship regime."

In the guestbook, he wrote, "I mourn the eternal president in my heart who devoted himself to prosecutorial reform and socio-economic democratization. I will walk forward keeping that will in mind."

Former Minister Cho Kuk after paying respects [Photo by Yonhap News]

After visiting the grave of the late President Roh, Cho told reporters, "Now, I will work to bring an early end to the ruthless and incompetent Yoon Seok-yeol prosecution dictatorship regime and restore the values of the democratic republic," adding, "I will become a spark and walk forward even if I burn out completely."

Having hinted at the formation of the 'Cho Kuk New Party' and running in the 22nd general election, he is scheduled to announce his position on the election tomorrow (the 13th) in Busan. He plans to reveal specific details about his candidacy in the April general election in his hometown.

Cho said, "When I became the nominee for Minister of Justice and was appointed as Minister of Justice, my role was to become a spark for prosecutorial reform," and self-assessed, "I believe I fulfilled that role to some extent. The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials was established, and the adjustment of investigative authority between the prosecution and police was carried out."

He continued, "Now, I will become a spark to bring an early end to the ruthless and incompetent Yoon Seok-yeol prosecution dictatorship regime and restore the values of the democratic republic," emphasizing, "I intend to walk forward without fearing any obstacles."

Former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk Visiting Bongha Village
Photo by Yonhap News

After the visit, he will move to Pyeongsan Village in Yangsan to pay a courtesy call on former President Moon Jae-in. On the 13th, he will visit Busan to announce specific details regarding his candidacy for the general election.

Earlier, on the 8th, Cho was sentenced to two years in prison in the appellate court for charges including his children's admission bribery. Denying all charges in the second trial, Cho hinted at running in the general election immediately after the verdict by saying, "I intend to lend a small strength," without making any special statement about the result.

While opinions differ on whether Cho, a criminal defendant, will run for office, legally, Cho's sentence has not yet been finalized, so there is no restriction on his candidacy.

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