"Jo Min Shows No Remorse, Must Be Strictly Punished"…Conservative Groups Demand Severe Punishment

The Free Republic of Korea Patriotic Corps Urges Severe Punishment in Petition to Seoul High Court
"Sentences Are Considered Too Light, Please Impose Appropriate Court Detention"

A conservative civic group submitted a petition to the court stating that they believe the sentence is too light in the trial concerning the medical school admission fraud involving Cho Min, daughter of former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk.

The conservative right-wing civic group Jayu Daehan Hogukdan announced on the 22nd that "we submitted a petition to the Seoul High Court urging severe punishment, signed by 14,068 citizens regarding Cho Min's admission fraud."

Jo Min attending the trial [Photo by Yonhap News]

In the petition, Jayu Daehan Hogukdan pointed out, "The court ruled that all seven credentials, including the forged certificate of appreciation from Dongyang University’s president, were false, and these credentials were used as admission materials by Cho Min," adding, "Cho Kuk and Jung Kyung-shim were sentenced to imprisonment, but the prosecution’s request for a suspended sentence for Cho Min, who is an accomplice and the biggest beneficiary in this case, is considered too lenient."

They continued, "Despite both her parents being convicted, Cho Min mocked the court ruling by claiming she is ‘upright’ and ‘fully qualified as a doctor,’ and filed lawsuits against the cancellation of her admissions to Pusan National University Medical School and Korea University," adding, "She also attended book talk shows with her father, Cho Kuk."

Furthermore, they criticized that "although Cho Min is currently on trial for admission fraud, she opened a YouTube channel, gathered 370,000 subscribers, advertised products such as red ginseng and cosmetics, and posted videos of domestic and international travels, enjoying a more affluent and luxurious lifestyle than others," arguing that there is no sign of remorse from her.

Jayu Daehan Hogukdan also stated, "The public experienced anger and frustration due to the Cho Kuk scandal. The admission fraud case involving the Cho family is a matter of public interest," and criticized, "While all citizens are watching this trial, the prosecution appears to be ‘going easy on Cho Min’ in their sentencing request, just as they did at the time of indictment."

They warned, "If the court sentences her to a lighter punishment than the prosecution’s recommendation, this case will set a bad precedent, and this country will eventually become a paradise for admission fraud," questioning, "If Cho Min were the daughter of an ordinary citizen rather than Cho Kuk’s daughter, would a suspended sentence even be requested?" They concluded by urging, "The court should strictly hold Cho Min accountable and impose an appropriate detention sentence."

Earlier, on the 26th of last month, the prosecution requested a sentence of one year imprisonment with three years of probation for Cho Min, who is charged with forgery of official documents, obstruction of business, and obstruction of public officials by deception. In response, Cho Min’s defense argued, "While the charges are admitted, the prosecution abused its authority by delaying the indictment with improper intent, so the indictment should be dismissed."

Cho Min publicly announced her engagement last month. Regarding her fianc?, she said, "He is the same age, not involved in politics, and not a public figure. He is an ordinary friend who works hard. I want to protect his privacy so that he is not harmed," and revealed her marriage plans, stating, "We have dated for about eight months, and the wedding is scheduled for the second half of this year."

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