'Woongdong Hakwon Corruption' Jo Gwon, Brother of Cho Kuk, Supreme Court Verdict on the 30th

Jo Kwon, the younger brother of former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk, who was indicted on charges including false litigation and corruption in teacher recruitment, is attending the first trial sentencing hearing held on the 18th at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] Jo Kwon (54), the younger brother of former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk, who was sentenced to three years in prison in the second trial for charges including recruitment corruption at Woongdong Academy and a sham lawsuit, will receive the Supreme Court verdict on the 30th.

According to the legal community on the 20th, the Supreme Court's First Division (Presiding Justice Kim Seon-su) set the verdict date for Jo, who is accused of obstruction of business and violation of the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes (breach of trust), for the 30th.

Jo is accused of receiving a total of 180 million won from two applicants during the recruitment process for social studies teachers at Woongdong Middle School in 2016-2017, when he worked as the secretary-general of Woongdong Academy, and passing on exam questions and answer sheets.

He is also charged with causing damages of approximately 11.55 billion won to the school foundation by filing sham lawsuits against Woongdong Academy in 2006 and 2017.

Jo was sentenced to one year in prison and detained in the first trial, but was released on bail during the appeal trial. However, he was sentenced to three years in prison in the appeal trial and was detained again.

Among the cases related to the Cho Kuk family, fifth cousin Jo Beom-dong (38) and Kim Kyung-rok (39), who acted as the asset manager for Cho Kuk and his wife, received final rulings from the Supreme Court. Jo Beom-dong, who was charged with violating the Capital Markets Act and other offenses, was sentenced to four years in prison and fined 50 million won, while Kim Kyung-rok received an eight-month prison sentence with a two-year probation.