The appeal trial verdict for Cho Min (33), daughter of former Cho Kuk, former leader of the Innovation Party, who was sentenced to a fine in the first trial on charges of admission fraud, will be announced on the 23rd of next month.
The Seoul Central District Court Criminal Appeal Division 2-3 (Presiding Judges Cho Eun-ah, Kwak Jeong-han, Kang Hee-seok) held the first appeal trial on the 26th for Cho, who is accused of forgery of official documents by deception, obstruction of business, and obstruction of official duties by deception, and immediately concluded the hearing.
The prosecution requested the same sentence as in the first trial: one year imprisonment with a three-year probation period. The prosecution stated, "Although it is claimed that she received more opportunities than her peers with the help of her professor parents, the contents of those activities were falsely recorded and used for admission," adding, "We must also consider the victims who were deprived of the opportunity to enter the medical graduate school due to the crime."
In her final statement, Cho said, "I have given up all the benefits I gained from the documents that the court judged to be false, and now I want to fulfill my social responsibilities in a different way," and apologized, "I sincerely apologize to those who were unintentionally hurt emotionally."
Cho was indicted without detention on charges of submitting falsely prepared admission application forms, self-introduction letters, and forged Dongyang University president’s certificates to the Busan National University Medical School on June 10, 2014, along with her mother, former Dongyang University professor Jung Kyung-shim, thereby obstructing the admission screening process.
Former representative Cho Kuk, who was tried on charges including admission fraud involving his children and covering up Blue House inspections, was confirmed to serve a two-year prison sentence by the Supreme Court in December last year and is currently serving his sentence.
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