Cho Kuk

Cho Kuk (Korean: 조국, born 6 April 1965[1]) is a South Korean jurist and politician. He was the Senior Secretary to the President for Civil Affairs from 2017 to 2019 in the Moon Jae-in Cabinet. On 9 September 2019, President Moon Jae-in appointed Cho as Minister of Justice, replacing the incumbent Park Sang-ki. As of late 2019, Cho Kuk was involved in a series of controversies, including allegations of illicit business activities and falsification of academic achievements of his daughter. On 14 October, Cho Kuk announced his resignation of Minister of Justice over corruption allegations.[2]

In this Korean name, the family name is Cho.
Cho Kuk
조국
Cho Kuk in May 2017
Minister of Justice
In office
9 September 2019 – 14 October 2019
PresidentMoon Jae-in
Preceded byPark Sang-ki
Succeeded byChoo Mi-ae
Senior Secretary to the President for Civil Affairs
In office
11 May 2017 – 26 July 2019
PresidentMoon Jae-in
Preceded byCho Dae-hwan
Succeeded byKim Joe-won
Personal details
Born (1965-04-06) 6 April 1965
West District, Busan, South Korea
CitizenshipSouth Korean
Political partyIndependent
Other political
affiliations		New Politics Alliance for Democracy (2014–2015)
Spouse(s)Chung Kyung-shim
ChildrenCho Won, Cho Min
Alma materSeoul National University
University of California, Berkeley
OccupationJurist, activist, politician
Korean name
Hangul
Hanja
Revised RomanizationJo Guk
McCune–ReischauerCho Kuk

Early life and education

Cho was born in West District of Busan[3][4] in 1965,[1] as the eldest son of the ex-Director of Institute of Ungdong,[5] Cho Byun-hyun (died in 2013),[5] and his wife and the current Director of the institute, Park Jung-sook.[1][6][7] He attended for Gudeok Elementary School in Busan, then moved to Seoul and studied at Daesin Middle School. After he returned to Busan, he finished his secondary education at Hyekwang High School.[4]

Cho earned a bachelor's and master's degree in law studies from Seoul National University,[4][3][1] and doctoral degree (J.S.D) from University of California, Berkeley in the United States.[4][1] He was also a visiting scholar at University of Oxford[3] and University of Leeds[3] in the United Kingdom.

Cho used to be a lecturer for law studies at University of Ulsan[3] from 1992[1] to 1994 and from 1999 to 2000,[8] then at Dongguk University[3] from 2000 to 2001,[8] and later at Seoul National University—where he had earned his bachelor's degree—from 2001 to 2004.[8] While at Seoul National University, his position was promoted from a lecturer to a senior lecturer (2004–2009),[8] then to a full professor in 2009.[8][4][9][10]

Political career

Cho showed his interest in politics at the end of the 1980s, while studying at university.[1] During this time, he was already a member of Socialist Labour League of South Korea,[1][6] along with Rhyu Si-min and Eun Su-mi. Cho was detained due to this activities, under the breach of the National Security Act, and declared as a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International.[1] Later, he criticised the National Security Act as a "barbaric law" in his book titled For the Freedom of Conscience and Ideology.[11]

Since the 2000s, Cho has been involved in various activities related to human rights and democracy. He was a member of the People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy,[3][8] Committee of Determination of Punishment in Supreme Court,[12][3] National Human Rights Commission,[3][8] and the other various organisations.

Cho has never held any elected position,[1] despite the former Democratic Party[13] and its successor Democratic Unionist Party[14] suggested him for running as a member of National Assembly in Bundang 2nd constituency.[1] There were also expectations that Cho would run for the Superintendent of Education in Seoul during the local elections in 2014, but he declined.[15][1] He did not even run for mayorship of Busan in 2018, despite public expectations.[1]

Senior Secretary to the President for Civil Affairs, 2017–2019
Cho Kuk in 2015

On 11 May 2017, the day after Moon Jae-in officially assumed his presidency, Cho was appointed Senior Secretary to the President for Civil Affairs.[16][1] He was one of non-prosecutors appointed for the position.[16][17] He promised for the clear investigation of 2016 South Korean political scandal.[16] This was welcomed by People's Party,[18] but also attacked from Liberty Korea Party.[19][7]

On 31 December 2018, Cho attended the House Steering Committee of National Assembly.[1] This "surprise" attendance was an issue in South Korean society, as such was not really done by the former senior secretaries.[1] A source reported that this negatively affected the approval ratings of President Moon.[20]

Cho was replaced by Kim Joe-won on 26 July 2019.[21]

Minister of Justice

On 9 August 2019, Cho was nominated for the position of Minister of Justice[6][22] replacing Park Sang-ki, by President Moon. He quoted from General Lee Soon-shin and promised for the political reform.[22] On 9 September, Cho was officially appointed the Minister of Justice.[23] But he resigned 35 days after taking office due to a prosecution probe into various allegations surrounding his family.[24]

Political orientation

Cho is often regarded as liberal,[1] even though he was labelled as a "leftist" by several right-wings.[25][26][17] Regarding the abolition of the death penalty, he said, "I understood the national sentiment, but it should be replaced to life imprisonment."[27] He also mentioned that people should not argue with criminality of abortion.[28]

For issues related to Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), Cho announced that the government is not only for KCTU and impossible to satisfy their demands.[29][30]

Controversies

In his political career, Cho Kuk was embroiled in a number of scandals, including plagiarism and tax delinquencies. More significant scandals came from his pending nomination as the Minister of Justice, mainly concerning Cho Kuk's illicit business activities and falsification of academic achievements of his daughter, Cho Min.

There are numerous other allegations of corruption under public scrutiny. Cho Kuk, having been a prolific self-righteous critic of corruption, is now widely criticized as being a hypocrite, coining the term "Choronambur" (조로남불), which means "it's romance if done by Cho, but adultery if done by others".[31]

Plagiarism

Cho was frequently accused of plagiarism.[1][6][32] In July 2013, Song Pyung-in of The Dong-a Ilbo and a conservative commentator Byun Hui-jae had mentioned that Cho plagiarized several theses during his studies at Seoul National University in 1989.[33][34] He replied that he underwent some problems with citations, although "unsure because it was long time ago", but then he apologized for it. On 26 June 2015, Seoul National University answered for the issue: some issues were found, which are not too serious.[35]

A few months after the incident, both commentators claimed again that Cho's plagiarism continued at Berkeley in 1997.[36][37] In response, Professor John Yoo said that no rechecking is required.[38] Berkeley also mentioned that there was no proof for the accusations.[39]

Tax delinquencies

Cho faced another criticisms regarding with tax delinquencies related with Institute of Ungdong.[1][6] It was reported that he and his family did not pay its legal costs for 3 years.[1] He accepted that it was true, and successfully paid all.[1][6]

Illicit business activities

In 2017, it was revealed that Cho Kuk and his family invested a total of approximatedly one million KRW, with a contract to invest an additional approximately seven million KRW, into a private equity fund, CO-LINK.[40] CO-LINK invested in a Korean company that is contracted in a multi-billion dollar computer network project in South Korea.[41] On 27 August 2019, a search warrant was carried out by the prosecutor's office on suspect sites. On 29 August, the former wife of Cho's younger brother Cho Kwon, Cho Eun-hyang, who is listed as the owner or CEO of many of Cho Kuk's family businesses and properties, was denied boarding on an international flight out of Gimhae International Airport.[42] Despite two full days of news reports, she claimed she was not aware of the flight ban placed on her.[42] Furthermore, three other business associates of Cho Kuk's family, including a Cho Kuk relative, had already left the country before the ban was officially placed on them.

Kim Gyung-yul and his team of accountants and economic analysts of People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy came to a conclusion that this is a crime involving political power.[43]

On 31 October, Cho Kuk's younger brother, Cho Kwon, was arrested on charges of embezzlement and bribery.[44]

Falsification of academic achievements of Cho Min
Main article: Cho Min

Cho Min, and her parents Cho Kuk and Chung Kyung-sim, have been accused of falsifying her academic achievements to get enrolled in prestigious universities and the medical school. Falsified academic achievements include her research in genetics and pathology, one of which has been retracted for violating ethical guidelines.[45] A senior association of medical experts in South Korea condemned the paper as one of the most serious cases of academic misconduct in South Korean history and compared it to the Hwang Woo-suk scandal.[46]

Indictment and arrest of Chung Kyung-sim

On 10 September 2019, shortly after Cho Kuk's nomination hearing, Cho Kuk's wife, Chung Kyung-sim, was officially indicted for forgery of a document by the prosecutor's office. Prior to the charges and during the hearing, when asked what should happen if his wife should face charges, Cho Kuk replied that his wife should be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law. Cho Kuk did not add that he would withdraw or resign from the nomination (Korea Times, 11 Sept. 2019, Chosunilbo, 10 Sept. 2019)

On 24 October Chung Kyung-sim arrested for embezzlement using forged official documents and other charges.[47]

On 23 December 2020, Chung Kyung-sim was found guilty and sentenced to four years in prison and fined 500 million won.[48]

Books
  • Sex-biased Criminal Codes (1 March 2001)
  • For the Freedom of Conscience and Ideology (30 August 2001)
  • Prostitution (1 February 2004)
  • Hearsay Rule of Illegally Acquired Evidences (20 March 2005)
  • Plea-bargaining – Introduction Planning and Studies (2006)
  • Introspecting Liberals (24 March 2008)
  • Hymn of Bonobo (How to survive as human in jungle-capitalist Korea?) (11 May 2009)
  • We're Telling You, South Korea – Our Homelands (3 January 2011)
  • Why am I studying law? (15 June 2014)
  • Criminal Law for Self-control (25 December 2014)

References
  1. "[Who Is ?] 조국 청와대 민정수석". 17 January 2019. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  2. "Justice Minister Cho Kuk resigns over corruption allegations". Yonhap News Agency. 14 October 2019.
  3. "진보집권플랜: 오연호가 묻고 조국이 답하다". 5 November 2010. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  4. "[프로필]조국 청와대 민정수석비서관". 11 May 2017. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  5. "[부음] 조변현 씨 별세, 조국 조권 씨 부친상". 30 July 2013. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  6. "조국 검증대에… 야당, 54억 재산ㆍ자녀 외고 진학 등 공세 예고". 9 August 2019. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  7. "웅동학원 비판한 자유한국당, 역풍에 나경원 휘청". 12 May 2017. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  8. "조국". Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  9. "조국 "송민순, 전직 장관이 중요 문건 마음대로 공개하는 이유는.."". 21 April 2017. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  10. "조국 "안철수 'MB 아바타'·'갑철수' 정치적으로 최악의 질문"". 24 April 2017. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  11. ""피고 국가보안법의 폐지를 선고합니다" …청년 역할극". 1 December 2017. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  12. "대법원, 2기 양형위원회 출범". 7 May 2009. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  13. "상품가치 높아지는 조국, 몸 다는 野". 24 March 2011. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  14. "[뉴스A]단독/한명숙, 공천심사위원장에 조국 교수 영입 추진". 17 January 2012. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
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  16. "靑민정수석에 非검찰 출신 조국 내정..인사수석엔 여성 조현옥". 10 May 2017. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  17. "[클로즈업] 법무장관 조국, 비(非)검찰 출신의 개혁 사령탑...강남좌파 지적도". 9 August 2019. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  18. "정윤회 문건, 박지원 "백번 천번 옳은 말, '정의로운 수사' 필요해"". 13 May 2017. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  19. "자유한국당 "靑민정수석, 정윤회문건 수사 재검토 재고하라". 14 May 2017. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  20. "조국 국회출석 통했나? 문 대통령 국정 지지율 반등". 3 January 2019. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  21. "조국 후임 김조원 "잘못땐 지적해달라"". 26 July 2019. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  22. "조국 또 이순신 언급, "서해맹산의 정신으로 소명 완수"". 9 August 2019. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  23. "South Korean president appoints justice minister despite scandals". CNA. Agence France-Presse. 9 September 2019. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
  24. 김계연 (14 October 2019). "[3보] 조국, 취임 35일만에 사의…"저는 검찰개혁 불쏘시개"". 연합뉴스 (in Korean). Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  25. "[김순덕 칼럼]분당우파 vs 강남좌파". 20 March 2011. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  26. "이언주 "조국 나오면 당연히 붙어야...강남 좌파의 시대 끝났다"". 22 April 2019. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  27. "유영철·강호순 등 사형 대기자 61명, 이영학 집행은?". 21 February 2018. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
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  30. "[월요칼럼] 기득권의 논리에 포획당한 민주주의 /이택광". 26 November 2018. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  31. http://www.donga.com/news/article/all/20191004/97721779/1. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  32. "조국 지명에 野 반발… "조국 파이터 골라 청문회 투입"". 9 August 2019. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  33. "[송평인 칼럼]조국 교수의 표절". 19 July 2013. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  34. "[단독] 조국 교수, 석사논문 표절에 병역문제까지". 13 July 2013. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  35. "서울대 "조국 교수 석사논문 연구부정행위 없다"". 26 June 2015. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
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  37. "[단독] 조국 교수, 전문박사논문도 표절논문". 29 September 2013. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  38. ""버클리대 로스쿨 "조국 교수 논문 찬사" vs 의심 변희재 "재심 요청""". 27 September 2013. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  39. "조국 서울대 교수 박사논문 표절 제보 "근거없다" 결론". 13 November 2013. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  40. https://n.news.naver.com/article/449/0000176400. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  41. http://news.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2019/09/04/2019090400242.html. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  42. "조국 동생 전처, 김해공항서 출국하려다 제지당해". 29 August 2019. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
  43. http://news.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2019/10/02/2019100200160.html. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  44. "Prosecutors extend detention of ex-justice minister's wife". Korea Herald. 1 November 2019.
  45. https://www.jpatholtm.org/journal/view.php?number=2740
  46. http://news.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2019/10/05/2019100500089.html. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  47. "조국 전 법무부 장관 부인 정경심 교수 구속" [Former Justice Minister's wife Prof. Chung Kyung-shim arrested]. The Hankyoreh. 24 October 2019.
  48. "Chung Kyung-sim gets four years in jail".
Political offices
Preceded by
Park Sang-ki		 Minister of Justice
2019–2020		 Succeeded by
Choo Mi-ae
Preceded by
Cho Dae-hwan		 Senior Secretary to the President for Civil Affairs
2017–2019		 Succeeded by
Kim Joe-hwan
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