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| Rep. Sim Sang-jeung, second from right, chairwoman of the Justice Party, speaks at the National Assembly, Thursday. Yonhap |
By Park Ji-won
The progressive Justice Party has officially asked Justice Minister nominee Cho Kuk Thursday to explain the corruption and fraud allegations involving him and his family amid growing calls for his nomination to be withdrawn.
Rep. Sim Sang-jeung, chairwoman of the Justice Party, said her party has sent a letter to Cho calling for an explanation on the suspicions against him and his daughter in particular while urging the main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP) to agree to hold a confirmation hearing for Cho in the National Assembly.
"There are rising public concerns over the nominee. It is wrong for the LKP to weaponize the situation for their interests. But there are a lot of suspicions that should be cleared during a National Assembly confirmation hearing for Cho. In particular, the allegations against his daughter should be examined swiftly," Sim said at the National Assembly, Thursday.
Claiming that the LKP is simply making allegations and trying to nullify the hearing, Sim added that the National Assembly "should decide when to hold the hearing. That is the way to examine the suspicions and fulfil the Assembly's duty."
The party has remained cautious about the issue for several weeks as it has been seeking to join hands with the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) on political reform. The DPK has been defending Cho despite internal opposition while criticizing opposition parties for allegedly sabotaging the confirmation procedures at the National Assembly.
Cho, former senior presidential secretary for civil affairs, has been voicing progressive opinions on major social issues stressing the need to root out irregularities from society.
Since the presidential office announced Cho's nomination earlier this month, allegations were raised involving the nominee's 28-year-old daughter, who has been allegedly receiving preferential treatment in university and medical school admissions.
Cho's daughter is suspected of having received scholarships worth 12 million won, or $9,942, at a medical school through unlawful means despite her poor performance at school. She was also allegedly registered as a primary writer in a pathology thesis during a two-week internship at a medical science institute as a high school student, which likely helped her to get into Korea University, one of the nation's most prestigious universities.
In addition to the suspicions against his daughter, suspicions are also spreading over his and his family's investment in a private equity fund which is allegedly run by his relative.
The LKP has vowed to boycott all Assembly sessions claiming Cho is not qualified as the leader of the justice ministry due to the allegations, and has demanded Cho's withdrawal from consideration and President Moon Jae-in's apology. Meanwhile, the LKP also filed a complaint against Cho and his family on Monday.
A recent survey released by Realmeter Thursday showed that President Moon Jae-in's approval rating has fallen to 46.7 percent, down 2.7 percentage points from last week, while that of the DPK was 38.3 percent, down 2.7 percentage points in the same period, possibly due to the spreading of negative public sentiment after Moon's nomination of Cho.
Cheong Wa Dae has underlined the need for the Assembly's confirmation hearing to thoroughly verify the allegations against the former senior presidential secretary for civil affairs.
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