Choi Kang-wook, 53, the Open Democratic Party leader, who is accused of writing false intern confirmations to the son of former Justice Minister Cho Kook, was convicted in the first trial. Previously, after the court judged that all the ‘7 specs’ of the daughter of former Minister Cho were false, the son also admitted that there was corruption in the entrance exam.
Judge Jeong Jong-gun, who was solely for criminal 9 of the Seoul Central District Court, sentenced CEO Choi, who was sentenced to imprisonment on the 28th for obstruction of work, to eight months in prison and two years of probation. If a member of the National Assembly is convicted of imprisonment or higher (including suspension of execution), his office is lost.
The judge nailed “impossible” interns for 12 minutes each time
Choi Kang-wook, a representative of the Open Democratic Party, who is accused of falsely writing the internship certificate of the son of former Justice Minister Cho Kook, is leaving the court after completing the first trial hearing held at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul on the morning of the 28th. Reporter Jang Jin-young / 20210128
Choi was indicted on January 23 last year for interfering with the university entrance examination by issuing false intern certificates to the son of former Minister Cho in October 2017, who was working as a lawyer at the law firm Cheongmaek. The son of former Minister Cho submitted this confirmation to Korea University and Yonsei University graduate school entrance examinations and passed them all.
The judges believed that Cho’s son did not actually intern at a law firm. According to the internship confirmation, the son of former Minister Cho spent only 16 hours working at a law firm for nine months from January to October 2017. “If 16 hours is a cumulative total of 9 months, it is about 12 minutes on average at a time,” and “it seems that there are not many things that can be done in 12 minutes anywhere, including the office.” “The lawyer argued that it was about 4 to 8 times counted as the number of times, but it did not match the description of twice a week for 9 months.
“I have never seen the son of my motherland” staff statements conclusive
The law firm officials who appeared in court testified to the effect that they had rarely seen the son of former Minister Cho. One employee, who worked overtime on weekdays and went to work on weekends, said he had seen only two of the presumed sons of former Minister Cho, and another employee stated that he had never seen a student for internship purposes. It also played a decisive role in the judgment of the judiciary that Choi left a message to the effect of’heard the voice of Cho’s son in a long time’ to Cho’s wife, Professor Chung Kyung-Shim of Dongyang University.
The judge said, “All statements that I attended two or three times a week and worked sincerely are not reliable. After all, the son of former Minister Cho visited the Buddha statue several times on holidays, mainly after 6 pm between January and October 2017. I only did it.”
Kyung-Shim Jung, “I received the documents well, for my relatives”
Professor Kyung-Shim Chung, Dongyang University. Reporter Woo Sang-jo
The judges believed that Choi knew that false documents would be used for college entrance exams. When Professor Kyung-Shim Chung sent a message to CEO Choi saying, “I received the documents well and I am grateful,” I heard that CEO Choi replied, “I hope that the documents will help you pass.” Professor Jeong said that he also sent a message saying that this document was “for related universities.”
The judge ruled, “Even if you didn’t know which college or department you were applying to, it was deliberate, so it was a hierarchical disruption to work.” He explained the reason for the sentence, saying, “The victim cannot be taken lightly considering the person in charge of admission to the graduate school, the act of damaging the fairness of the entrance exam, and the impact of the academic background on the position in our society.”
Court claims “retaliation prosecution”, “Choi Kang-wook has not been investigated”
Choi claimed that the prosecution’s “retaliation prosecution” was not accepted, hearing that January 23, when he was prosecuted, was the time of the midst of the prosecution. The judge said, “The prosecution requested a subpoena according to the lawful procedure, but representative Choi did not respond, and there was evidence (to prove the charges),” and said that the prosecution’s personnel schedule was not related to the exercise of the right to defend.
The court also mentioned the case last year when Seoul Central District Prosecutor General Lee Seong-yoon had a conflict with Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol during the prosecution of Choi. At that time, General Prosecutor Yoon met with the Prosecutor of the District and ordered the prosecution, but the Prosecutor of the District delayed the approval until the end, and the investigation team also protested. Prosecutor Lee at the time was cited for the reason that “the summons investigation of representative Choi is necessary”, but the judge pointed out that “CEO Choi who did not appear even after receiving the subpoena was”.
It was the first time to judge Jomin’s’False son’s specifications’
Choi Kang-wook, a representative of the Open Democratic Party, who is accused of falsely writing the internship certificate of the son of former Justice Minister Cho Kook, is leaving the court after completing the first trial hearing held at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul on the morning of the 28th. Reporter Jang Jin-young / 20210128
This is the first time that the former Minister Cho Kook’s son was judged for irregularities in the entrance exam. Previously, the first trial court of Professor Kyung-Shim Chung determined that all the so-called ‘7 specs’ of former Minister Cho’s daughter were false. Former Minister Cho and his wife are also being prosecuted on the same charges and are being tried in the first trial. Former Minister Cho and his wife are also suspected of forging the confirmation form (forgery of private documents) by cutting and pasting the seal of the internship confirmation in the name of CEO Choi Kang-wook into a capture program and printing it out.
Immediately after the sentence was sentenced, Choi said to reporters, “It makes me think about what the court has perceived as an institution that will check the prosecution’s runaway. I will immediately appeal and try to reveal the truth.”
Reporter Dr. Ra [email protected]