Cho Kuk faces summons after his wife's arrest
The arrest of the wife of former Justice Minister Cho Kuk will accelerate the prosecution's investigation into the corruption scandal surrounding his family. The move came immediately after a Seoul court issued an arrest warrant for Chung Kyung-sim, a Dongyang University professor, early Thursday morning.
Chung faces 11 criminal charges, including admissions fraud, illegal investment in a private equity fund and destruction of evidence. The issuance of the warrant has given credence to the prosecution which was criticized for digging up dirt on Cho and his family by not only his supporters, but also presidential officials and ruling party lawmakers.
Yet Chung's arrest is only the beginning of the legal procedure to get to the bottom of the corruption case involving her family members. So it will be inevitable for investigators to call Cho in for questioning over allegations that he might have been involved in the admissions fraud to help his daughter. He might have also played a certain role in his wife's dubious investment schemes.
Chung and her two children were found to have invested 1.05 billion won ($894,750) in Co-Link Private Equity in July 2017, right after Cho became the senior presidential secretary for civil affairs. She is suspected of having been directly involved in the investment and management of the private equity fund. Chung also faces allegations that she embezzled a huge sum of money from the fund after purchasing shares of a Co-Link-invested company by using another person's name.
Such a purchase is illegal because the current law bans high-ranking civil servants and their family members from buying shares of any private companies to prevent a conflict of interest. Sources close to the prosecution said that there is evidence showing that Chung bought the company stocks using her husband's money. That's why the prosecution is reportedly seeking to summon Cho as early as next week.
The prosecution should conduct a fair and thorough investigation of the Cho family to shed light on the simmering scandal. The law enforcement agency under Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl deserves praise for its efforts to dig deeper into the case, despite a strong backlash from the Moon Jae-in administration and the ruling Democratic Party of Korea. The prosecution has yet to give in to pressure from political power.
The prosecution should speed up the investigation to help end the social division and political confrontation which have continued to roil the country since the controversial appointment of Cho as justice minister on Sept. 9. Cho resigned last week, but the nation has suffered a setback to its democracy due to the apparent hypocrisy of his family.
Chung and Cho have so far refused to admit to any of the corruption allegations against them despite the evidence presented by prosecutors. Now they must realize that denial tactics will not work anymore. We urge them to tell the truth about what they have done to protect their own privileges and perks at the expense of other people. Cho in particular should apologize for undermining the value of equality, fairness and justice.
The arrest of the wife of former Justice Minister Cho Kuk will accelerate the prosecution's investigation into the corruption scandal surrounding his family. The move came immediately after a Seoul court issued an arrest warrant for Chung Kyung-sim, a Dongyang University professor, early Thursday morning.
Chung faces 11 criminal charges, including admissions fraud, illegal investment in a private equity fund and destruction of evidence. The issuance of the warrant has given credence to the prosecution which was criticized for digging up dirt on Cho and his family by not only his supporters, but also presidential officials and ruling party lawmakers.
Yet Chung's arrest is only the beginning of the legal procedure to get to the bottom of the corruption case involving her family members. So it will be inevitable for investigators to call Cho in for questioning over allegations that he might have been involved in the admissions fraud to help his daughter. He might have also played a certain role in his wife's dubious investment schemes.
Chung and her two children were found to have invested 1.05 billion won ($894,750) in Co-Link Private Equity in July 2017, right after Cho became the senior presidential secretary for civil affairs. She is suspected of having been directly involved in the investment and management of the private equity fund. Chung also faces allegations that she embezzled a huge sum of money from the fund after purchasing shares of a Co-Link-invested company by using another person's name.
Such a purchase is illegal because the current law bans high-ranking civil servants and their family members from buying shares of any private companies to prevent a conflict of interest. Sources close to the prosecution said that there is evidence showing that Chung bought the company stocks using her husband's money. That's why the prosecution is reportedly seeking to summon Cho as early as next week.
The prosecution should conduct a fair and thorough investigation of the Cho family to shed light on the simmering scandal. The law enforcement agency under Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl deserves praise for its efforts to dig deeper into the case, despite a strong backlash from the Moon Jae-in administration and the ruling Democratic Party of Korea. The prosecution has yet to give in to pressure from political power.
The prosecution should speed up the investigation to help end the social division and political confrontation which have continued to roil the country since the controversial appointment of Cho as justice minister on Sept. 9. Cho resigned last week, but the nation has suffered a setback to its democracy due to the apparent hypocrisy of his family.
Chung and Cho have so far refused to admit to any of the corruption allegations against them despite the evidence presented by prosecutors. Now they must realize that denial tactics will not work anymore. We urge them to tell the truth about what they have done to protect their own privileges and perks at the expense of other people. Cho in particular should apologize for undermining the value of equality, fairness and justice.
