Representative Cho Kuk, who denied 'Park Eun-jung's husband receiving preferential treatment,' also reported to prosecution... Charged with false information disclosure

Cho Kuk, leader of the Cho Kuk Innovation Party, who made remarks claiming that the high legal fees received by Park Eun-jung, the party's number one proportional representative candidate's husband, lawyer Lee Jong-geun (54, Judicial Research and Training Institute class 28), were not due to preferential treatment for former officials, will be reported to the prosecution on the 2nd for false statement charges.

Seoul City Council member Lee Jong-bae announced through a press release distributed earlier that day, "At 9:30 a.m. on the 2nd, a press conference will be held in front of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office entrance to file a criminal complaint against Cho Kuk for false statements claiming that 'Park Eun-jung's husband did not receive preferential treatment for former officials.'

On the 27th of last month, Jo Guk, leader of the Jo Guk Innovation Party, held a press conference at the National Assembly regarding the reform of prosecutorial and other power institutions. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

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Lee stated, "Regarding the suspicion that Lee Jong-geun, husband of Park Eun-jung, the number one proportional representative candidate of the Cho Kuk Innovation Party, earned 4.1 billion KRW in one year through preferential treatment for former officials, including receiving 2.2 billion KRW at once as legal fees for a multi-level fraud case, Cho Kuk Innovation Party leader Cho Kuk made absurd claims at the National Assembly on the 29th of last month, such as 'It does not seem that he benefited from the Yoon Seok-yeol prosecution system' and 'It seems he signed a contract for legal fees,' arguing that Park's husband did not receive preferential treatment for former officials. However, these are clear falsehoods," he asserted.

He continued, "Therefore, the false claim that 'there was no preferential treatment for former officials' corresponds to Cho Kuk's act of publishing false facts with the intention of getting Park Eun-jung elected, and thus Cho Kuk will be criminally charged with false statement under the Public Official Election Act."

Lee criticized, "During the Moon Jae-in administration, he rapidly rose to the position of chief prosecutor and received astronomical legal fees of 2.2 billion KRW based on his experience as chief prosecutor, which is a typical case of preferential treatment for former officials. Denying this and distorting the essence with ugly sophistry mocks the public who are outraged by such preferential treatment. While vocally condemning prosecutorial dictatorship, he secretly makes a fortune through preferential treatment for former officials, which is shocking."

He added, "Someone who should be imprisoned by a final Supreme Court ruling forming a political party and asking voters for votes is itself a stain on democracy. The entry of a party like Cho Kuk's fan club, which talks about prosecutorial dictatorship and presidential impeachment, into the National Assembly will remain an indelible blot in constitutional history."

Finally, Lee urged, "To uphold the Constitution and protect democracy, the prosecution should conduct a thorough investigation and severely punish Cho Kuk."

Earlier, Lee had filed a complaint with the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office against Park Eun-jung for false statements regarding her husband, claiming that "there was no preferential treatment for former officials."

Park recently registered as a candidate for the general election, declaring a combined spousal property of 4.982 billion KRW. This is an increase of about 4.1 billion KRW from the 875 million KRW reported in May last year, shortly after her husband, former prosecutor Lee Jong-geun, retired.

After retirement, former prosecutor Lee acted as a lawyer for the CEO of Huestem Korea, who is accused of a fraud case involving over 1 trillion KRW, and for Ado International, which is accused of a 400 billion KRW-scale illegal fundraising case.

In response to the controversy, Park countered, "Do you think a 'pro-Moon (pro-Moon Jae-in) prosecutor' could receive preferential treatment under the Yoon Seok-yeol administration?" and made the remarks that Lee Jong-bae criticized.

On the same day, Chosun Ilbo reported that while Lee Jong-geun was serving as head of the Criminal Division at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, he received investigation reports from the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office and gave instructions regarding the 'V Global Coin fraud case,' and defended one of the suspects involved.

Meanwhile, Cho Kuk, who made statements defending lawyer Lee Jong-geun, husband of Park Eun-jung, was previously criticized for hypocrisy after it was revealed that at a book concert last year, he criticized former prosecutors turned lawyers, saying, "It should not be called preferential treatment for former officials but 'former official crimes' and 'former official corruption.'"

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