Do Je-hae edits news stories as part of the AI team.
Moon's key confidant under spotlight
Cho Kuk, presidential nominee for justice minister, arrives at an office in central Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap
By Do Je-hae
By Do Je-hae
Controversy is rising over President Moon Jae-in's choice for justice minister, Cho Kuk, as he is facing multiple ethical issues to be addressed at the upcoming National Assembly's confirmation hearing.
Allegations of possible illegalities surrounding the former senior presidential secretary for civil affairs and his family members have been at the center of media attention since the announcement of his nomination earlier this month.
The latest involves his daughter whose academic background has fueled controversy about whether she was given preferential treatment during her high school and university careers. Reports say Cho's daughter joined a research team at Dankook University Medical School in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, for two weeks back in 2008 when she was a high school sophomore.
She was listed as a “primary writer” in the thesis dubbed “eNOS Gene Polymorphisms in Perinatal Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy,” which was published by the Korean Journal of Pathology in 2009.
On Tuesday afternoon, the local university issued a public apology and added it will launch a committee to begin an internal investigation into the matter.
“There is a widening controversy regarding Cho's daughter's university admission,” Rep. Kim Jin-tae of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP) said during a press conference at National Assembly, a few hours before the apology issued by Dankook University the same day. “Cho's daughter was named as lead author of a thesis ahead of her professor and those in the Ph.D. program. With this thesis she entered university and medical school.” Kim leads the National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee.
Cho's daughter attended the Hanyoung Foreign Language School, considered one of the elite high schools in Seoul, where she was enrolled in a special program for students preparing for overseas university admissions. She entered Korea University in 2010 through a special admission with an English-language thesis written when she was in high school. Opposition parties are raising speculations of irregularities as it is considered rare for a high school student to be registered as a primary author of a thesis in English. The LKP is reportedly setting up a special team to look into the allegation and will consider filing a complaint with the prosecution.
The allegations surrounding his daughter is particularly viewed by many as problematic, as the Korean public has a tendency to be extremely sensitive regarding school-related irregularities of the children of parents who have power and wealth.
The LKP has jumped at the chance to corner Cho with the school-related controversy, which could potentially have a crushing impact on his political ambitions. Cho is widely considered as one of President Moon Jae-in's top confidants.
Cho has also faced snowballing allegations surrounding his property transactions and private equity fund (PEF) investment, in addition to his family's wealth management. In addition, he faces criticism for receiving a salary from the Seoul National University, where he briefly returned after leaving Cheong Wa Dae, last month, despite not having worked there nor having taught classes.
Despite the rising doubts against his suitability and character as a justice minister, Cho has only said that he will clarify his position during the confirmation hearing, saying a lot of media reports about him are factually wrong.
The ongoing controversies surrounding the justice minister nominee Cho has ignited criticism once again about Cheong Wa Dae's nomination process, which has shown some loopholes in strictly verifying backgrounds of nominees for ministerial-level posts and other top government positions.
Cheong Wa Dae underlined that the verification process was being handled in an “objective manner.”
“The Assembly hearing is a legitimate way to verify the ethics and policies of the nominees,” a presidential aide said during a press briefing, Tuesday.