Internal Documents Existed Even During Staff Absence
"Collusion Between Prosecution and University to Target Cho Kuk"
On October 19, Yonhap News reported that Jeong Kyungshim, former Dongyang University professor and wife of Cho Kuk, emergency response committee chairman of the Innovation Party, has filed a criminal complaint against eight former and current officials of Dongyang University, including former president Choi Seonghae, for allegedly spreading false information regarding the issuance of a certificate of merit to her daughter, Cho Min. They are accused of denying the actual issuance of the certificate and systematically destroying related documents.
According to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, Jeong filed the complaint on September 30 against Choi and other university officials, including former vice president Kim, on charges of evidence destruction and perjury. The case has been assigned to the Anti-Corruption and Public Crimes Investigation Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, and the police plan to summon Jeong's side soon to verify the background and supporting evidence for the complaint.
In the complaint, Jeong's legal team directly refuted the key claim from the previous court ruling that "the certificate of merit could not have been issued." Specifically, they argued that internal documents issued under the name of the Language Education Institute existed even during August and September 2012, the period in question, and therefore the previous assertion that "issuance was impossible due to staff absence" was not true.
They also challenged former president Choi Seonghae's courtroom testimony that "he had never approved the certificate of merit and that no related documents remained," claiming that this was a false statement made to politically attack Cho Kuk and his wife.
Former Dongyang University professor Jeong Kyungshim attending the appellate court sentencing hearing.
Jeong's legal team stated that, once the prosecution's investigation began, they discovered evidence that university staff had arbitrarily destroyed documents related to Cho Min. They submitted materials to support this claim, alleging that the systematic destruction of evidence led to a guilty verdict.
Jeong was indicted in 2019 after suspicions arose over the forgery of Cho Min's certificate of merit, and she was later prosecuted alongside her husband, former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk. The investigation escalated into what became known as the "Cho Kuk incident," which shook the political landscape and led to Cho's resignation as minister. In 2022, Jeong received a final sentence of four years in prison from the Supreme Court, and Cho Kuk was sentenced to two years in prison in 2024.
This case caused a nationwide stir as then-Prosecutor General Yoon Sukyeol led the investigation. Yoon later entered politics and became president, but was impeached and left office this year amid controversy over documents related to martial law. Jeong Kyungshim and Cho Kuk were both reinstated through a special Liberation Day pardon in August this year.
Jeong's legal team asserted, "Beyond the authenticity of the certificate of merit, this case was a targeted investigation driven by the political motives of Yoon Sukyeol's prosecution. Under pressure from the administration, key evidence was omitted or concealed, and perjury and evidence destruction were employed."
They further emphasized, "A thorough reinvestigation is needed into the illegal investigative practices within the prosecution and those responsible behind the scenes."
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