Jomin Mentioned 'Admission Controversy': "I Appeared Whenever the News Was On... It Was Hard and Scary"

Recalled Struggles Related to Admission Fraud Allegations
"You Must Try to Overcome Difficult Times," Advice to Subscribers

Cho Min, daughter of former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk, recalled the difficult times when she was embroiled in a university admission corruption scandal and advised a struggling subscriber to stay strong. On the 10th, Cho uploaded a video on her YouTube channel 'Jjomin' where she counseled subscribers on their concerns. On that day, one subscriber asked, "Cho Min, you have faced many hardships so far, but you seem to have maintained a clear and positive attitude, which I respect. I am curious about what mindset you have lived with while facing an unpredictable, sometimes bleak and anxious future."

Mr. Cho recalled his past experience of ranking first in the real-time news search, saying, "I also had a really hard time 4 or 5 years ago. I kept ranking first in the real-time news search. Only my story kept appearing in the news. I was very afraid to see my friends. When my friends brought up those topics, I was so scared and felt like I couldn't handle it."
[Photo by YouTube channel 'Jjomin minchobae']

In response, Cho said, "This is a question I receive almost every time I do counseling," and added, "It’s easy to say I’m always bright, but to explain sincerely, I also felt extremely hard and thought my world was collapsing when things that seemed like they would never happen to me happened repeatedly." She continued, "When hardships come, how you overcome them greatly changes a person and leads to a lot of growth," and explained, "Some people get discouraged, fall into depression, and become lethargic when such things happen, while others struggle desperately to overcome them. I am the latter."

In particular, Cho recalled that she also had a hard time regarding the admission fraud allegations. She said, "I also had a really tough time 4 or 5 years ago. I kept ranking first on real-time news search terms," and added, "Only stories about me appeared in the news. Honestly, I was even afraid to see my friends. If they brought up those topics, it was so scary and I felt like I couldn’t handle it." She continued, "My friends contacted me because they were worried about me, but I wondered if going silent would help me," and advised, "Before that incident, I tried to regain my daily life, and you can overcome it only by constantly creating and practicing positive thoughts."

Finally, Cho said, "It has already been 4 to 5 years since that incident. In fact, that is more than enough time to overcome the mental aspect," and added, "Many people still comfort, worry, and feel sorry for me, but now that I have firmly recovered, you don’t need to offer words of consolation. Rather, I hope you will cheer for the path I am living ahead."

Earlier, on January 26, the prosecution requested a sentence of one year in prison with three years of probation for Cho’s admission fraud charges during a hearing presided over by Judge Lee Kyung-sun of the 16th Criminal Division at the Seoul Central District Court. Cho’s sentencing trial is scheduled for March 22.