Jo Guk Criticized Over Pardon, Urged to Seek Retrial If Innocent
Jo Guk Vows to Face Public Judgment in Next June’s Election
Former People Power Party leader Han Donghoon has commented on the release of former Cho Kuk Innovation Party leader Cho Kuk, who was granted a special pardon for Liberation Day, stating, "If he is truly innocent, he should request a retrial." On August 18, Han criticized Cho in a post on social media, saying, "Mr. Cho did not receive a pardon; in reality, it is more like he broke out of prison." Han later reiterated on social media, "If we go by Mr. Cho's claims, the target of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials should not be Han Donghoon, who was demoted four times and subject to two search and seizures while investigating Cho, and who was smeared with fake news about tracking Yoo Si-min's bank accounts. Instead, it should be the Korean courts, which found Cho guilty in the first, second, and third trials and sent him to prison."
Han's criticism comes as Cho, after being released on August 15, began making public appearances, including his first broadcast appearance on the same day. Han referenced the Supreme Court's confirmation of Cho's guilty verdict. Han also appeared to be targeting Cho's remarks in an interview with the Hankyoreh newspaper, in which Cho said he found it difficult to agree with the court's decision. In the interview, when asked whether he planned to seek a retrial regarding the court's guilty verdict, Cho stated, "If I pursue a retrial, I would have to devote more energy to it, and I do not want that." He added, "Although I do not agree with the court's findings of fact or legal reasoning, I have already stated several times that I accept the verdict."
Cho Kuk: "I Cannot Forgive Yoon Sukyeol and Han Donghoon"
Previously, when prosecutors began investigating Cho after he was nominated as Minister of Justice under the Moon Jaein administration in 2019, Han Donghoon was serving as head of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office's Anti-Corruption and Violent Crimes Department, assisting then-Prosecutor General Yoon Sukyeol in leading the investigation. Regarding this, Cho stated, "Yoon Sukyeol and Han Donghoon wielded the prosecution's power recklessly to protect their own positions and block prosecution reform." He added, "To be frank, I cannot forgive the two of them."
Former Representative Cho Kuk of the Cho Kuk Innovation Party is greeting the public as he is released on August 15 from the Southern Seoul Detention Center in Guro-gu, Seoul, under a special pardon and reinstatement for Liberation Day. Photo by Yonhap News
Furthermore, appearing on a YouTube program hosted by broadcaster Kim Eo-jun on August 18, Cho made clear his intention to run for office, saying, "In any case, I will definitely seek the people's choice in June next year." When asked whether he planned to run in local elections or a parliamentary by-election, Cho replied, "Even I have not yet decided where I will run." He continued, "I need to share my views with the public, including addressing their criticisms of me, and I must receive the people's political judgment. Legally, the matter is settled, but I want to seek the people's political choice once again."
Targeting the People Power Party, Cho stated, "To dissolve a political party, it must be confirmed that the party leadership was systematically involved in the 12·3 Coup d'Etat. At the very least, we should wait for a first-instance verdict." He added, "Separately, in the upcoming local and general elections, the people must end the People Power Party through their votes." He emphasized, "I believe that a party that continues to take far-right or pro-Yoon (pro-Yoon Sukyeol) stances even after the coup has no place in our country. I am certain that the People Power Party must be judged by the people once again, and I want to play a role in that." Regarding the Supreme Court's decision during the last presidential election to remand President Lee Jaemyung's Public Official Election Act case with a guilty verdict, Cho asserted, "That was clear interference in the presidential election."
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