CHUNG KYUNG-SIM SENTENCED TO JAIL

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The Supreme Court has sentenced Chung Kyung-sim, the wife for former Justice Minister Cho Kuk, to four years in prison for academic fraud. The final verdict comes more than two years after a probe was launched into Cho and his family.

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Former Dongyang University Professor Chung Kyoung-sim was initially indicted for academic fraud and dubious private equity investments. Like the lower courts, the Supreme Court found the wife of former Justice Minister Cho Kuk guilty of most charges and sentenced her to four years in jail. The court also upheld the 50 mn won fine and dismissed Chung's request for bail. The final verdict comes two years and five months after the probe was launched. Chung faced 15 charges including obstruction of duty, document fabrication and violation of the Capital Market Act. They largely consist of academic fraud to help her daughter get into college and graduate schools, questionable investments in a private equity fund, and destruction of evidence. Chung has been found guilty by all courts of fabricating her daughter's awards and internship certificates. She was found guilty of obstruction of college admission duties by letting her daughter apply to the SNU and Pusan National University graduate schools of medicine using forged documents. She was found guilty of having others conceal evidence. Chung allegedly instructed her asset manager to hide personal computers at her residence and Dongyang University lab ahead of the investigation. The court of first instance found Chung not guilty, but the court of second instance ruled otherwise. The Supreme Court has upheld the second verdict. Chung was found not guilty of having someone fabricate investment-related documents to be submitted at her husband's confirmation hearing. She has been acquitted of all the charges related to the embezzlement of the private equity fund. The former Dongyang University professor had been found guilty of some of them by the court of first instance, including the accusation that she traded stocks using confidential information of a battery manufacturing company.