Prosecutors Find No Election Law Violation in Cho Kuk's Statement That Daughter Voluntarily Returned Degree

"It Can Be Seen as an Expression of Subjective Opinion"

The prosecution decided not to indict Cho Kuk, the leader of the Cho Kuk Innovation Party, who was accused of publicly spreading false information by stating that his daughter, Cho Min, voluntarily returned her degree ahead of the April 10 general election.

Cho Kuk, leader of the Cho Kuk Innovation Party, is talking with Hwang Hee, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, at the National Assembly inspection held at the Ministry of National Defense in Yongsan-gu, Seoul on the 8th.
[Photo by National Assembly Press Photographers Group]

The Public Investigation Division 2 of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Cho Min-woo) announced on the 8th that it had decided not to indict Cho on charges of spreading false information under the Public Official Election Act, citing 'no charges.' The prosecution explained that although the statement could mislead voters about the facts, considering the context and overall content of the statement, it could be seen as a subjective opinion intended as an evaluation rather than a factual assertion.

Earlier, on March 27, ahead of the general election, Cho was reported to the police on suspicion of spreading false information after stating at a foreign press conference that "his daughter respected national laws and therefore voluntarily returned her degree and medical license."

The police found that Cho Min had never actively requested to return her degree and license, and thus considered Cho's statement to be factually inaccurate. The case was forwarded to the prosecution on the 25th of last month.

During the investigation, Cho's side stated that "the return of the degree was an expression of accepting the cancellation of admission without further dispute, and the statement meant that although there were procedures remaining to seek a court's judgment, she voluntarily withdrew the lawsuit."

In January 2022, Cho filed lawsuits contesting the cancellation of her admission to the Busan National University Medical School and Korea University. However, the court ruled in April last year that the cancellation of admission to Busan National University Medical School was justified. Subsequently, Cho withdrew the lawsuit related to the cancellation of admission to Korea University.