Determined Remarks in Wall Street Journal Interview
Recalling the Investigation of the Joguk Incident, "Feeling Exposed"
Jo Guk, leader of the Jo Guk Innovation Party, said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), "If I go to prison, the party will work for me," adding, "I don't know how long I will be there, but I will do squats and push-ups."
On the 1st, WSJ published an interview with Jo under the headline, "He lost his job. His wife went to prison. Now he wants to bring down the President of South Korea."
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) introduced an interview with Cho Kuk, leader of the Cho Kuk Innovation Party, on the 1st under the title "He lost his job. His wife went to prison. Now he wants to bring down the President of South Korea." [Photo by WSJ]
WSJ compared Jo's life to the popular American political drama "House of Cards." He was appointed from Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs at the Presidential Office to Minister of Justice but became the subject of a "national scandal," and now he is paving a path as a politician planning revenge.
Additionally, WSJ introduced that Jo's name, Jo Guk, translates to "Motherland."
In the interview, Jo said, "I do not currently harbor ambitions to run for president," but also stated, "I have limits, wounds, and flaws, but I have decided to fight against President Yoon and the Yoon Seok-yeol administration more than anyone else."
Jo was sentenced to two years in prison in the second trial for charges including his children's admission fraud and covering up Blue House inspections. With the final appeal pending, if the Supreme Court confirms the sentence, he will lose his parliamentary seat. Even after serving the sentence, his eligibility to run for office will be restricted for five years, making the earliest possible presidential run in 2032.
He also recalled the so-called "Jo Guk incident" that erupted when he was appointed Minister of Justice in 2019. When the investigation authorities searched his home in September 2019 and he stepped down from the ministerial post after 35 days, he said he felt "naked."
Jo acknowledged, "My words and actions did not align, and I understand the criticism because the public had high expectations of me," but criticized, "I believe the way the prosecution investigated me and my family was not right."
Despite his wife, former Dongyang University professor Jung Kyung-shim, serving her sentence and his children undergoing prosecution investigations, Jo said he did not neglect exercise and that he can now do up to eight pull-ups, something he had never been able to do before the "Jo Guk incident."
He also shared the story of having dinner with his family for the first time after Jung was granted parole. Jo said he toasted with single malt whiskey with his wife, who studied in the UK, adding, "My wife is not good at drinking, but I drank."
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