Court: "Cho Kuk's flawed perception that using unfair methods is acceptable if it benefits his child's admission"

Court: "Claims Contradict Objective Evidence... No Remorse, Ignoring Fault"
"Severe Social Division and Conflict Persist Due to Suspicions Surrounding Family"

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Kyung-jun] The first trial court that sentenced former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk to two years in prison on charges including admission fraud involving his children pointed out that the case "stemmed from a mistaken perception that any irregular method would not be a problem as long as it could yield favorable results for the children's admissions."

According to the legal community on the 6th, the Criminal Division 21-1 of the Seoul Central District Court (Presiding Judges Ma Seong-young, Kim Jeong-gon, Jang Yong-beom) stated in the verdict, "The crime of admission fraud involving the defendant's children completely betrayed the expectations and responsibilities demanded of the defendant, who was a renowned university professor with significant social influence at the time."

It continued, "The defendant repeatedly committed the same type of crime over several years during the admissions process for his two children by exploiting his social status as a university professor. The defendant used forged or falsely issued documents and actively participated in online exam cheating, with the methods becoming increasingly audacious over time," criticizing him.

Former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk, who was indicted on charges of admission fraud involving his children and covering up an inspection, is leaving the court after being sentenced to two years in prison at the first trial sentencing hearing held at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 3rd.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Furthermore, the court ruled, "The admissions screening work of each educational institution was actually obstructed, and the trust of our society in the fairness of the admissions system was seriously damaged. Moreover, due to the suspicions surrounding the defendant's family, severe social division and exhausting conflicts have persisted."

Regarding the charge of covering up the inspection of Yoo Jae-soo, former Deputy Mayor for Economic Affairs of Busan, the court said, "In his position as Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs, overseeing the inspection work of the Presidential Secretariat, the defendant had the duty to prevent corruption among high-ranking officials through the Special Inspection Team and to strictly inspect and take appropriate measures if corruption was found. However, despite repeated requests from the Special Inspection Team to block improper political requests and pressure raised during the inspection process, the defendant turned a blind eye and abused his authority by halting the inspection that was proceeding normally in accordance with those requests," criticizing him.

It also judged, "The defendant, who was granted inspection authority, arbitrarily shifted the standard of fairness himself, seriously damaging the fair exercise of state functions and the public's trust in investigative agencies. The nature of the crime is severe, and the culpability is heavy."

The court also criticized former Minister Cho for showing no remorse and consistently denying objective evidence.

The court stated, "Even up to the trial, the defendant continues to make claims contrary to objective evidence, still turning a blind eye to his wrongdoing and not showing genuine remorse. It is judged that severe punishment commensurate with the defendant's culpability is inevitable."