Appeals court upholds fine for ex-justice minister's daughter over admission fraud

Cho Min, the daughter of former Justice Minister Cho Kuk, attends a hearing over allegations of university admissions fraud at the Seoul Central District Court in Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap

An appellate court on Wednesday upheld a fine of 10 million won ($7,024) for the daughter of former Justice Minister Cho Kuk on charges of university admissions fraud.

The Seoul Central District Court upheld the previous ruling that fined Cho Min on charges of document forgery, business obstruction and obstruction of official duties by fraudulent means.

Cho, 33, was indicted for allegedly submitting falsified documents, including an admission form, a cover letter and a certificate of commendation, to Pusan National University's Graduate School of Medicine with the help of her mother in June 2014.

She was also charged with conspiring with her parents in submitting fabricated documents to Seoul National University College of Medicine in June 2013.

In its ruling in March, a district court sentenced Cho to a fine of 10 million won, prompting both sides to appeal.

The prosecution had earlier demanded a one-year prison sentence, suspended for three years for Cho.

On Wednesday, the court dismissed the appeal by both sides, citing "no special circumstances" to change the previous ruling.