[News Today] CHO KUK’S JAIL TERM UPHELD

[LEAD]
Cho Kuk, leader of the Rebuilding Korea Party, has been sentenced to two-years in prison. This was due to his involvement in school admission fraud for his daughter and obstructing an official inspection. As a result, Cho will lose his parliamentary seat and be incarcerated, barring him from future presidential and general elections.

[REPORT]
A jail term has been upheld for Cho Kuk, leader of the minor opposition Rebuilding Korea Party, on charges of involving irregularities surrounding his daughter’s school admission and exerting influence to end an inspection on a former vice Busan mayor.

As a result, he will lose his parliamentary seat and serve time in prison.

As he will be restricted from running for public office for seven years, Cho will be unable to run in the next presidential and parliamentary elections.

On Thursday, the Supreme Court upheld the lower court ruling, sentencing Cho to a two-year jail term and a fine of six million won, around 4,200 U.S. dollars.

The Rebuilding Korea Party leader began standing trial in December 2019 on charges of academic fraud and anti-graft law violations.

In 2020, he faced additional charges for interfering in an inspection on ex-Vice Busan Mayor Yoo Jae-soo.

In the first and second trials, he was found guilty on most of the accusations and sentenced to two years in prison.

However, he was not arrested in court, as the judges decided that he was not a
flight risk and was unlikely to destroy evidence.

His wife Chung Kyung-sim who is accused of conspiring with Cho for their daughter’s illicit academic admissions was sentenced to one year in prison with a suspension of two years.

A ten-month jail term was also confirmed for former presidential secretary for
civil affairs Baek Won-woo.

Cho had asked the Supreme Court to postpone the verdict hearing, citing the current political crisis following the president’s martial law order. However, the top court rejected his request.

The parliamentary seat emptied by Cho will go to the party’s population policy expert Baek Sun-hee.