Kim Eui-gyeom "Assemblyman Choi Kang-wook finds the badge cumbersome"
Kim Yong-min "It doesn't matter where it is"
Former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk cheered on former Democratic Party lawmaker Choi Kang-wook, who was confirmed to lose his parliamentary seat for issuing a false internship certificate to his son.
On the 18th, Cho wrote on his Facebook, "Choi Kang-wook. A man of fighting spirit, boldness, and cheerfulness. Someone my family liked even more than I did," adding, "One door has closed, but another will open."
The Supreme Court's full bench (Presiding Justice Oh Kyung-mi) upheld the original ruling sentencing former lawmaker Choi to eight months in prison with a two-year suspended sentence for obstruction of business.
Former Minister Cho wrote on his SNS on the 18th, "Choi Kang-wook. A man of fighting spirit, boldness, and cheerfulness. Someone my family liked more than I did," adding, "One door has closed, but another will open." [Image source=Cho Guk SNS]
In October 2017, while working as a lawyer at the law firm Cheongmaek, former lawmaker Choi was prosecuted for issuing a false internship certificate to former Minister Cho's son, thereby obstructing the admissions process of the graduate school to which his son applied.
According to the National Assembly Act and the Public Official Election Act, a person sentenced to imprisonment or higher loses the right to be elected until the sentence is extinguished. Accordingly, former lawmaker Choi lost his parliamentary seat with this ruling and will be unable to run in next year's general election.
Choi Kang-wook, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea who was indicted for falsifying the internship verification letter of Cho Kuk, former Minister of Justice's son, is coming out after the Supreme Court's final trial verdict on the afternoon of the 18th in Seocho-gu, Seoul. [Photo by Yonhap News]
Following former Minister Cho, Democratic Party lawmakers also sent messages of support to former lawmaker Choi. Lawmaker Kim Eui-gyeom said, "Choi Kang-wook will rather soar freely," adding, "He found the parliamentary badge burdensome. Now, he will be unstoppable."
Additionally, Lawmaker Kim Yong-min said, "Because we are looking toward the same place and walking together, it does not matter where he is," and "Although Choi Kang-wook is leaving the National Assembly, he will ultimately share the moment of victory with us."
Meanwhile, after the sentencing, former lawmaker Choi said, "Since this is the conclusion reached by South Korea's judicial system, I have no choice but to respect it, but it is also true that I have many regrets," adding, "I had hoped for a groundbreaking ruling regarding indiscriminate search procedures and the protection of victims' human rights, but it seems that hope was in vain."
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