Tag: Cho Kuk

Investigators Raid ROK Justice Ministers House for Evidence of Corruption

| September 24, 2019

It seems to me that whatever evidence that would have existed would have been long removed from the house by now:

Investigators enter the residence of Justice Minister Cho Kuk in south Seoul on Sept. 23, 2019 as part of prosecutors’ probe into allegations of corruption involving his family. (Yonhap)

The prosecution raided the residence of Justice Minister Cho Kuk on Monday as part of a widening probe into corruption allegations involving his family, including suspected forgery by his wife.

State prosecutors are looking into allegations that Cho’s wife forged a college presidential citation to help her daughter enroll in a medical school. Cho’s wife was indicted on those charges early this month.

Investigators were sent to his house earlier in the day to collect computer hard drives and documents.

The prosecution is probing suspicions that his wife, a professor surnamed Chung, may have sought to destroy evidence linked to the alleged forgery and Cho may have aided and abetted such acts.

Yonhap

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.

Cho Kuk’s Cousin Arrested as Part of Corruption Probe

| September 15, 2019

Prosecutors seem to be acting quick to get to the bottom of the corruption surrounding President Moon’s new Justice Minister, Cho Kuk:

Cho Kuk

Prosecutors on Saturday arrested a cousin of Justice Minister Cho Kuk at the center of corruption allegations surrounding Cho and his family’s investment in a private equity fund.

The cousin, also surnamed Cho, was arrested at Incheon International Airport earlier in the day on embezzlement charges, according to officials. 

After being transported to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, the cousin is currently being interrogated, the officials said.

He is allegedly the de facto head of controversial private equity fund Co-Link PE. Co-Link invested 1.4 billion won ($1.17 million) in local company Wealth C&T, whose sales soared while Cho was serving as senior presidential secretary for civil affairs. 

Co-Link is also alleged to have falsely reported to the financial regulator that it received 7.4 billion won from Cho’s family for investment, despite the pledged amount being 1.05 billion won. 

The arrest came as prosecutors are widening their probe into the corruption allegations surrounding the justice minister.

Despite the allegations, coupled with suspicions regarding his daughter’s education, Cho was sworn in as justice minister on Monday and said that he will not interfere with the ongoing probe. He ordered the prosecution to conduct the investigation in a fair and strict manner.

Yonhap

Cho says he won’t interfere in the investigation when he already has.

Opposition Party to Demand a Special Investigator After Appointment of Cho Kuk to Justice Minister

| September 11, 2019

President Moon’s political opposition is going to play out the Cho Kuk saga as long as they can for maximum political benefit prior to next’s year’s national assembly elections:

Cho Kuk

“South Korea’s democracy is dead. We plan to use all available cards responding to President Moon’s nomination of Cho to the justice minister position including a plan to team up with minor opposition parties to submit requests to name a special investigator to look into Cho’s alleged corruption and nepotism allegations,” a spokesman at the main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP) said in a party commentary after the President’s confirmation of Cho, Monday afternoon.

The minor opposition Bareunmirae Party (BMP) said it will discuss action plans with the LKP. “Floor leaders of the country’s major political parties were discussing detailed plans for the next Assembly sessions, but I received a short phone call from senior presidential secretary for state affairs Kang Ki-jung in which he said President Moon appointed Cho as justice minister as planned. It’s simply unacceptable. We will do what we can do but other lawmakers oppose the President’s decision,” BMP floor leader Rep. Oh Shin-hwan said during a hurriedly arranged party meeting.

Korea Times

It is actually good politics to keep Cho Kuk in the headlines because this is what his current poll ratings are:

In a poll by local pollster Realmeter released last week, 56.2 percent of South Koreans respondents were opposed to Cho becoming justice minister, while 40.1 percent were in favor.

The ruling DPK are facing a key election next year, which would be critical for Moon to avoid “lame duck” status. The South Korean leader is facing challenges to diffuse an uncertain outlook for the country’s export-dependent economy, which this year is projected to expand at the weakest pace in more than a decade. 

However, with Cho Kuk being appointed, I expect we will start seeing less of him in the headlines and this will just fade away down the memory hole like the Moon administration expects it too.

For example does anyone mention Foreign Affairs Minister Kang Kyung-hwa’s ethical lapses any more? It will be the same thing with Cho Kuk.