Over 400,000 people disapprove of verdict on ex-minister's wife

By Kim Rahn

Dongyang University professor Chung Kyung-sim, wife of former Justice Minister Cho Kuk, attends a court hearing at the Seoul Central District Court in southern Seoul, Wednesday. The court found her guilty of academic and financial fraud and handed down a four-year jail term. Yonhap

More than 400,000 people have called for the impeachment of the judges who handed down a four-year prison term to Dongyang University professor Chung Kyung-sim, wife of former Justice Minister Cho Kuk, over academic record forgery and financial fraud, claiming the verdict was politically motivated.

The call is the latest petition on the Cheong Wa Dae website filed regarding contentious issues, over which public opinions are divided politically and ideologically.

As of Monday, over 404,000 people have signed the petition posted last Thursday, a day after the ruling. The petition gained more than 200,000 signatures in one day ― Cheong Wa Dae is required to make an official response for any petition gaining over 200,000 signatures within a month.

The petitioner called on the National Assembly to propose a bill to impeach the three judges at the Seoul Central District Court claiming “they violated the Constitution which requires judges to make a decision based on their conscience.”

The reference is to Article 103 of the Korean Constitution which states: “Judges shall rule independently according to their conscience and in conformity with the Constitution and laws.”

The petitioner said the judges acknowledged all the charges of academic fraud for Chung, who was accused of forging academic records to ensure her daughter's admission to college. The petitioner claimed the investigation into the family was politically motivated and much of the evidence submitted by the prosecution was wrongly obtained. Cho and the prosecution have been at odds over the Moon Jae-in government's prosecutorial reform measures.

“The judiciary, which has been lenient to drug smuggling and drunk driving, said all academic documents were forged and thus the whole life of one person (Chung's daughter) was a lie. I want to ask if the judges truly made the ruling based on their conscience,” the petitioner wrote.

Chung was sentenced to four years in jail and a 500 million won ($456,000) fine for fabricating documents for her daughter's medical school admission, and for investing in a private equity fund under others' names ― against the code of ethics for public officials. She was immediately taken into custody from the courtroom to prevent her from destroying further evidence.

In a similar move in line with the conflict between the government and the prosecution, more than 70,000 people have signed another petition to call for the impeachment of Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl.

Saying the supermajority ruling Democratic Party of Korea has the power to push ahead with Yoon's impeachment, the petitioner wrote, “The prosecution led by Yoon abused its power to lead an unfair, unreasonable investigation targeting the ruling bloc, not for the people or justice but for its own interests.”

Philosophy professor Yoon Pyung-joong of Hanshin University said the ardent Moon supporters are destroying the basic principle of the separation of legal, administrative and judicial powers. “The strong Moon supporters lack judgment ability and balance, which is required for the people of a democracy. They only have fascist polarization between comrades and enemies as well as blind worship of leaders,” Yoon wrote on his Facebook, Sunday.