Category: Politics-Korea

Brother-in-Law of Controversial ROK Justice Minister Invested in Company Tied to Evading North Korean Sanctions

| September 23, 2019

ROK Drop favorite Dr. Tara O has the latest news on yet another scandal involving family members of Justice Minister Cho Kuk:

Cho Kuk’s wife also lent her brother Jeong Kwang-bo ₩300 million ($262,000) on February 28, 2017, after which Jeong Kwang-bo bought 250 shares of Co-Link Private Equity worth ₩500 million ($345,000) on March 9, 2017.  Co-Link and China’s Jiangsu Province Huakun Science and Technology Development (public) Corporation (장쑤성 화군과학기술발전유한공사와) also signed an agreement on April 28, 2016 to invest ₩600 billion ($525 million) in Co-Link.

Jeong Kwang-bo, was also the managing director of Bona Systems Company [(주)보나시스템].  One of Bona Systems’ subsidiaries is Dongchin Shipping (동친해운), which is suspected of being involved in transporting North Korean coal. 

East Asia Research Center

You can read much more at the link, but Cho Kuk I would think would just claim he did not know about this and push the blame on his family members. Even if he didn’t know about this could these family members think they can get away with such schemes simply because of Cho Kuk’s connections to the Blue House?

Finally could you imagine how apocalyptic the Korean left would be if former President Park Geun-hye had closer advisors involved in scandals like this?

Tweet of the Day: President Moon’s Approval Rating Falls to 40%

| September 22, 2019

Should Moon Jae-in Build A Presidential Library?

| September 21, 2019

It would be interesting to see what accomplishments President Moon thinks should be enshrined in his own multi-million dollar library:

The government until a few days ago planned to spend W17.2 billion in taxpayers’ money to build a library dedicated to the life and career of Moon Jae-in in Busan once the president leaves office (US$1=W1,192). It would be the first of its kind paid for with taxpayers’ money. So far the country has been content to store documents and other materials related to all previous presidents in a library in Sejong administrative city that opened in 2016. There is a separate library and museum dedicated to Kim Dae-jung, a vastly more distinguished figure than the incumbent, but it was paid for with his Nobel Peace Prize money.

Moon’s own library was to be built on a sprawling 5,000 sq.m plot of land in the southern port city. The existing library in Sejong employs 64 staff, yet the government will have to hire more than 20 staff just to look after the Moon collection. The Moon administration is starting to behave as if it is on a mission to empty the government’s coffers over ever less useful projects.

Chosun Ilbo

You can read more at the link.

Prosecutors Find that Cho Kuk Lied During Confirmation Hearing About Daughter’s Academic Fraud

| September 20, 2019

Is anyone surprised that Cho Kuk lied about his daughter’s academic fraud:

Justice Minister Cho Kuk, right, makes a courtesy call on Lee Hae-chan, left, chairman of the ruling Democratic Party, at the National Assembly in western Seoul on Tuesday. [YONHAP]

Justice Minister Cho Kuk’s daughter did take credit for a controversial medical research paper in her application to Korea University in 2010, the JoongAng Ilbo reported Tuesday – which Cho himself denied in his confirmation hearing on Sept. 6.

The research paper from Dankook University’s Medical Science Research Institute credited Cho’s daughter as first author even though she was just a high school intern.

“During a raid of Korea University, the prosecution seized records concerning the 2010 admission process, including a list of materials that Cho’s daughter had submitted as a part of her application,” a university official told the JoongAng Ilbo.

Although the application itself and other submitted materials were discarded because the five-year mandatory archive period had passed, the list of materials she submitted remained, the official said.

Joong Ang Ilbo

You can read more at the link, but you would think the university’s his daughter applied to would find it odd that a high school student was the lead author of a medical research paper.

ROK Justice Minister Apologizes and Blames Wife for Corruption Allegations

| September 6, 2019

Here is what came out of the ROK Justice Minister confirmation hearings. He essentially denied all the corruption claims and if any did happen they were his wife’s fault:

Cho Kuk

Justice Minister nominee Cho Kuk denied he had any part in alleged corruption involving his family during a confirmation hearing Friday, as political parties wrangled over his suitability for the post.

Cho repeatedly apologized to the public for the allegations that have caused public disappointment and uproar, but he also expressed his unwavering commitment to carrying out reform of the prosecution.

“For the reform, I think that a proper candidate for justice minister should have no experience serving as a prosecutor. If not, the person cannot help representing interests of the prosecution,” Cho told lawmakers.

Cho, a former senior presidential secretary for civil affairs, was bombarded with questions by lawmakers over his supposed ethical lapses linked to suspected corruption involving his family.

Yonhap

Here is where new allegations have surfaced and he blamed his wife:

During the hearing, lawmakers mainly bickered over fresh allegations that Cho’s spouse may have fabricated a school award for her daughter.

Cho’s wife, a Dongyang University professor surnamed Chung, faces allegations that she may have forged the dean’s award certificate in 2012 to help the daughter enter the PNU medical school in 2014.

The award was allegedly given in recognition of volunteer work at the school’s English education center for children from rural villages in Yeongju, 230 kilometers southeast of Seoul. Chung later became the chief of the center.

Dongyang University Dean Choi Sung-hae said Thursday that Chung asked him to say he had entrusted her with the authority to issue the dean’s award certificate. His remarks spawned speculation that Chung may have attempted to destroy evidence.

Choi told Yonhap News Agency that Chung put her husband on the phone with him and he was pressed by Cho to make a false statement on the forgery allegations against Chung.

Cho acknowledged that he spoke by phone with Choi, but dismissed claims that he might have exerted pressure on the chief.

“I told Choi that I am sorry (about the row) and asked him to reveal the truth as it is,” Cho said.

“If my wife committed (the alleged forgery), she should have to take legal responsibility, as everybody is equal before law,” he noted.

Look how brazen Cho is that he knows he is under intense scrutiny, but still gets on the phone to pressure a witness before his confirmation hearing and then blames his wife for anything illegal that may have happened.

He knows just like other corrupt Moon administration officials that he will get appointed and the public flogging he is taking now will be quickly forgotten by a largely Blue House controlled news media.