Bahk Eun-ji has been with The Korea Times since 2012, building a career across multiple desks. She began at the Business Desk, where she conducted in-depth interviews with key figures in Korea's corporate world. Later, she moved to the Politics & City Desk, focusing on education policy and social affairs. She later served as team leader of the digital content team, leading curation efforts on the newspaper’s homepage and reshaping print stories for social media audiences to enhance digital reach. Now back on the Politics Desk, she covers the National Assembly and the Ministry of National Defense, with a renewed focus on political developments.
Heated legal battle expected between Cho, prosecution
Former Justice Minister Cho Kuk leaves a detention center in eastern Seoul, Friday, after a court rejected an arrest warrant for him over abuse of power allegations in closing a Cheong Wa Dae bribery investigation into former Busan Vice Mayor Yoo Jae-soo in 2017. /Yonhap
By Bahk Eun-ji
By Bahk Eun-ji
Former Justice Minister Cho Kuk has managed to avoid arrest over his alleged abuse of power in halting Cheong Wa Dae's corruption investigation of a former Busan vice mayor, as a local court rejected the prosecution's request to issue an arrest warrant for him.
However, the court implied a large part of the allegations have been confirmed through the prosecution's probe so far, although they may not be grave enough to merit putting him behind bars.
This conclusion is expected to bring a fierce court battle between Cho and the prosecution.
Following a review on the warrant request on Thursday, the Seoul Eastern District Court said early Friday morning that it did not recognize the need to detain him at this point although the allegations are serious.
“Cho's abusing of power to halt the inspection into (former Busan Vice Mayor) Yoo Jae-soo has made the nation's constitutionalism regress and damaged the fair exercising of state function,” judge Kwon Deok-jin of the court said.
But the inspection led Yoo to resign, Cho did not commit the crime for his personal interest, and Cho is unlikely to flee, Kwon said. “The prosecution's investigation has already made progress, so it is also unlikely for Cho to destroy evidence.”
The judge also took it into consideration that Cho's wife, Dongyang University professor Chung Kyung-sim, has been arrested for a corruption separate case.
In 2017 when Cho was the senior presidential secretary for civil affairs, a special team under his office investigated the allegations that Yoo, who was then a director-general of the Financial Services Commission (FSC), accepted bribes from financial companies.
But the inspection was halted abruptly, and Yoo somehow avoided punishment from the FSC, tendered his resignation, and became vice mayor in Busan in 2018.
The prosecution has looked into whether Cho, other Cheong Wa Dae officials, or other ruling bloc figures were involved in the alleged cover-up of the case. Cho's then-subordinates testified during the prosecution's request questioning that Cho ordered the halt.
During two questioning sessions earlier this month, Cho denied most of the allegations. He said the special team's inquiry at the time showed the bribery allegations against Yoo were not grave, and that the case was closed because the team had no right to forcibly investigate Yoo.
At the court review, Cho also claimed he did not order the halt, but had discussions with his subordinates about possible options including asking the prosecution to investigate Yoo or requesting the FSC to handle the case.
He also said documents related to the 2017 inspection were destroyed when Cheong Wa Dae regularly disposed of documents every year, not because Cho or his subordinates tried to destroy evidence.
Meanwhile, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office said Friday it has requested an arrest warrant for Ulsan Vice Mayor Song Byung-gi for his alleged intervention in the 2018 mayoral election in the city.
Song allegedly gave a tip-off about corruption allegations involving then Ulsan Mayor Kim Gi-hyeon's aides to an official at Cheong Wa Dae's civil affairs office. The tip-off prompted a police investigation, and during the probe, Kim lost the election to Song Cheol-ho, a close aide to President Moon Jae-in. Song Byung-gi was later appointed as vice mayor.
It is alleged that, besides the tip-off, Song Byung-gi discussed Song Cheol-ho's campaign strategies together with Cheong Wa Dae officials ― which would also violate the law that bans public servants from conducting actions that could affect elections.