Liberal lawmakers keep mum on Cho Kuk's prison sentence

Former Justice Minister Cho Kuk’s two-year prison sentence has invited mixed reactions from the political bloc, with liberal lawmakers refusing to give any hints of dismay toward the court's decision.

Former Justice Minister Cho Kuk, center, speaks to the press on Friday outside the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho District, southern Seoul, after the court sentenced him to two years in prison. [YONHAP]

Former Justice Minister Cho Kuk’s two-year prison sentence has invited mixed reactions from the political bloc, with liberal lawmakers refusing to give any hints of dismay toward the court's decision.

The Democratic Party (DP), which used to take every opportunity to defend Cho, a close ally of ex-President Moon Jae-in, hasn’t released a single official statement as of Sunday.

President Yoon Suk Yeol’s People Power Party (PPP), on the other hand, slammed the DP and Cho over the weekend, saying the liberal party was exacerbating the situation by holding a massive antigovernment rally in downtown Seoul on Saturday.

A DP lawmaker who spoke to the JoongAng Ilbo under the condition of anonymity said the party was trying to refrain from commenting on such a “volatile” subject.

DP lawmakers have largely distanced themselves from the Cho Kuk scandal ever since the party’s presidential candidate, Lee Jae-myung, lost to the PPP’s Yoon Suk Yeol last March, and saw that one of the key reasons they were defeated was their coddling of Cho.

The Cho Kuk scandal first emerged in August 2019 when Moon nominated his former senior secretary for civil affairs as the justice minister.

Accusations that Cho and his wife, who at the time was an English professor at Dongyang University in Yeongju, North Gyeongsang, pulled strings to help their son and daughter get into prestigious universities surfaced ahead of Cho’s parliamentary confirmation hearing. The couple was also accused of using illegal methods to amass wealth.

Moon appointed Cho anyway.

For several weeks, the streets of Gwanghwamun in central Seoul were filled with protestors rallying against Cho, while opposite rallies defending Cho were held in Seocho District, southern Seoul, near the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office.

After 66 days in office, Cho stepped down, leaving the nation deeply divided.

Last Friday, the Seoul Central District Court sentenced Cho to two years in prison and ordered him to forfeit 6 million won ($4,900). The verdict came three years and two months after he was indicted.

While Cho was found guilty on almost every charge regarding his children, he was acquitted on most of the rest concerning allegations he illegally amassed wealth and abused his power while serving in the Blue House.

The court, however, did not immediately detain Cho, citing a lack of reason to believe he would try to destroy evidence or flee.

Cho said he would appeal.

Chung Kyung-sim, Cho’s wife, was sentenced to an additional year in prison on Friday after the court found her guilty of forging documents for the couple’s son, who graduated from George Washington University and currently attends Yonsei University Graduate School.

Chung has been serving a four-year sentence since 2020 for her daughter’s admissions scandal and other corruption charges.

Cho’s daughter was ultimately accepted to Pusan National University’s medical school in Busan and graduated, but the university announced last year it decided to revoke her admission. Korea University, where the daughter received her bachelor’s, also revoked her admission.

Cho’s daughter is fighting both cases in court.

Yonsei University last week said it would wait for a Supreme Court ruling to decide the fate of Cho’s son.

BY LEE SUNG-EUN, KIM JEONG-YEON [lee.sungeun@joongang.co.kr]