[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Yeon-ju] The 'Jo Guk White Paper,' created by supporters of former Minister of Justice Jo Guk who collected donations, has been published. The white paper defines the so-called 'Jo Guk incident' as a prosecutorial coup and claims that the prosecution's investigation was conducted for political purposes.
The Jo Guk White Paper Promotion Committee published 'Prosecutorial Reform and Candlelight Citizens' (Jo Guk White Paper) on the 5th, describing the series of events surrounding former Minister Jo as "an incident expressed as 검란 (檢亂), an unprecedented prosecutorial coup."
The white paper argued, "The political prosecution's plan was very cunning," adding, "Baseless revelations were rampant, and suspicions were confirmed without verification procedures."
It further stated, "If reason operates precisely, this is an unacceptable manipulation of public opinion."
Regarding media coverage of former Minister Jo, it said, "There is a higher demand for media reform than ever before," explaining, "This is likely related to the despair over the media reporting behavior revealed during the Jo Guk phase, which even led to the expression 'media ruin theory'."
It also claimed that the suspicions surrounding former Minister Jo's family were exaggerated or deviated from the core issues.
Regarding the admission issue of former Minister Jo's daughter, the white paper stated, "Media outlets criticized both unfairness and injustice," but countered, "The unfair situation was created not by candidate Jo Guk but by the class structure and admission system of Korean society."
It explained, "The process by which candidate Jo's daughter became the first author of a thesis clearly showed how social networks are organized and affect a student's 'specs' (credentials)," adding, "The core issue is not the morality of individual parents and students but the connections formed through special-purpose high schools."
In response to some criticisms that former Minister Jo's past statements on social network services (SNS) and his current actions are contradictory, it argued, "Throughout history, many reformists have shown 'discrepancy between existence and consciousness,'" and "In every era, anti-reform forces have criticized reformists as hypocritical by pointing out this discrepancy."
Regarding the pro- and anti-appointment rallies for former Minister Jo last year amid various allegations, it evaluated, "The 2019 candlelight rallies demanding prosecutorial reform were voluntary," but "The large-scale rallies with Taegeukgi flags in Gwanghwamun held by the conservative camp were a mix of involuntary mobilization and voluntary participation."
Meanwhile, former Minister Jo posted on his Facebook that day, "Thank you for the efforts of the 'White Paper Promotion Committee,'" and said, "I will start reading it now, thinking of the candlelight in Seocho-dong last year."
However, he emphasized, "I write this out of precaution," adding, "I was not involved at all in the writing and editing of this white paper."
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