The prosecution investigating the appointment process of former National Assembly member Lee Sang-jik as the chairman of the Small and Medium Business Corporation (SBC) during the Moon Jae-in administration, as well as allegations of 'preferential hiring' of Seo, the son-in-law of former President Moon, has summoned Cho Kuk, leader of the Innovation Party, for questioning.
Following former Presidential Chief of Staff Im Jong-seok, Cho, who was the senior secretary for civil affairs at the Blue House at the time of the incident, has also been summoned by the prosecution, indicating that the investigation is gaining momentum.
Cho Kuk, leader of the Cho Kuk Innovation Party, is touching his hair at the talent recruitment ceremony held at the National Assembly on the 21st. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@
The Criminal Division 3 of Jeonju District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Han Yeon-gyu) announced on the 21st that it has requested Cho to appear as a witness in connection with the alleged abuse of authority and obstruction of rights during the appointment process of the SBC chairman. Cho is scheduled to appear at Jeonju District Prosecutors' Office at 9:30 a.m. on the 31st for questioning.
Cho was a key figure in the Moon Jae-in administration, serving as the senior secretary for civil affairs at the Blue House from 2017 to 2019 and later as Minister of Justice.
The prosecution believes that in an unofficial Blue House meeting held at the end of 2017, former National Assembly member Lee, founder of Eastar Jet, was designated as the SBC chairman, and plans to investigate what role Cho played at that time.
Earlier, the prosecution had indicted former personnel chief Cho Hyun-ok on charges of abuse of authority and summoned key figures from the Moon administration, including former Chief of Staff Im, to ascertain statements made during the meeting.
Lee was appointed as SBC chairman in March 2018, the year following the unofficial meeting. However, controversy arose in July of the same year when Seo, the son-in-law of former President Moon, was hired as executive director of Thai low-cost carrier Thai Eastar Jet, which Lee had established.
Seo, who had no practical experience in the airline industry at the time, was hired as an executive of the airline struggling with poor performance in its early stages, raising suspicions that this was a quid pro quo favor related to Lee’s appointment as SBC chairman.
The then-opposition party, People Power Party, viewed the Blue House as having intervened in Lee’s appointment and Seo’s hiring process, and filed four complaints with the prosecution between September 2020 and December 2021, demanding an investigation into the allegations.
The prosecution suspects that former President Moon and his wife, Kim Jung-sook, who were supporting their daughter Dahye’s family financially despite irregular income, facilitated Seo’s employment as an executive at Thai Eastar Jet, enabling him to receive a salary.
Recently, the prosecution analyzed account details obtained through a seizure of financial accounts belonging to former President Moon and his wife, confirming when and to what extent the couple supported Dahye’s family.
Cho had previously testified before the National Assembly that he was unaware of Dahye’s family’s relocation to Thailand while serving as senior secretary for civil affairs.
On December 31, 2018, during a National Assembly Steering Committee meeting, Cho responded to a question from then-People Power Party lawmaker Kwak Sang-do about whether he knew of Dahye’s family’s move to Thailand by saying, "I learned about it after media reports."
However, the prosecution suspects that Cho, as senior secretary for civil affairs, could not have been unaware of Dahye’s family’s relocation to Thailand. In May, the prosecution seized the home of an official, A, who worked in the civil affairs secretary office under the senior secretary for civil affairs at the Blue House and was deeply involved in Dahye’s family’s move to Thailand. It is considered implausible that A, an administrative officer in the civil affairs secretary office, would have assisted the presidential family’s relocation without the senior secretary’s knowledge. A is currently known to be working as a party official for the Innovation Party.
Like former Chief of Staff Im, Cho disclosed the prosecution’s summons on his Facebook page on the same day.
In his Facebook post, Cho wrote, "The prosecution contacted my office and asked me to appear for a 'witness investigation' regarding the appointment of former SBC chairman Lee Sang-jik. I will appear at Jeonju District Prosecutors' Office at 9:30 a.m. on August 31."
He added, "According to media reports, the prosecution is designating former President Moon as a 'suspect' in this case and pushing the investigation in that direction. When the Lee Myung-bak administration’s approval ratings plummeted, it mobilized the prosecution to push forward investigations into former President Roh Moo-hyun, which ended tragically."
He continued, "According to the released texts and statements of Kim Geon-hee, Yoon Seok-youl and Kim Geon-hee hypocritically claim to respect former President Roh. However, in reality, Prosecutor Yoon wrote indictments and thoroughly investigated the family of former President Roh after his passing. Now that Yoon is president, he is attacking former President Moon and his family. It reminds me of the saying, 'Old habits die hard,'" directly criticizing President Yoon.
Cho said, "I will go because the prosecution has summoned me," but added, "I do not know former chairman Lee Sang-jik or former President Moon’s son-in-law."
He further stated, "I understand that Lee Sang-jik was appointed following the usual Blue House personnel procedures, including recommendation and verification, and that the employment of former President Moon’s son-in-law is unrelated."
Finally, Cho concluded his post by saying, "To the prosecution, I say this: I hope that even one percent of the effort spent investigating former President Moon and his family is used to uncover the criminal charges against the living powers, Yoon Seok-youl and Kim Geon-hee."
Meanwhile, before his appearance at the prosecution, former Chief of Staff Im posted on Facebook that "political prosecutors have been mobilized in a case that was politically orchestrated," and urged, "Do not fabricate cases; if there is evidence, just indict." Im appeared at the prosecution the previous day, exercised his right to comprehensive refusal to testify, and left after 3 hours and 20 minutes of questioning.
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