Cho Min, Cho Kuk's daughter, fined 10 million won for academic fraud

Cho Min, daughter of former Justice Minister and leader of Korea Innovation Party Cho Kuk, leaves Seoul Central District Court after a trial on Friday. [YONHAP]

Cho Min, daughter of former Justice Minister and leader of Korea Innovation Party Cho Kuk, was found guilty in her first court trial on charges of academic fraud on Friday.

The Seoul Central District Court sentenced Cho to a fine of 10 million won ($7,510) for issuing false official documents and obstructing business and the performance of official duties. The prosecution had previously requested one year in prison with three years’ probation.

“We recognize all charges as guilty,” the court said. “The series of college entrance exam fraud crimes by Cho likely caused much frustration to the public and students who worked hard for a long time for fair competition.”

Cho, along with her mother Chung Kyung-sim, a former professor at Dongyang University, were indicted without detention on charges of interfering with the admissions process of Pusan National University’s medical school by submitting a false college application with a forged recommendation from the president of Dongyang University on June 10, 2014.

“Although Cho was aware of false information in her application when applying to medical school, she was not involved in the specific process of falsification or forgery, and we have also taken into account the fact that there is no history of crime by Cho,” the court continued.

Cho and her parents are also accused of submitting forged documents on June 17, 2013. The documents included cover letters with false information and a forged internship confirmation letter signed by the director of a human rights law center at Seoul National University Law School.

A former professor who was Cho's accomplice was also found guilty by the Supreme Court. Cho Kuk, Cho Min's father, was found guilty in his second trial and an appeal trial is in progress.

A close trusted aide of former President Moon Jae-in, Cho Kuk served as Moon's presidential secretary on civil affairs from 2017 to 2019.

He became a justice minister under Moon's administration later in 2019, only to step down a month later on Oct. 14 over a power abuse scandal.

The prosecution indicted him in December 2019 for pulling strings to get his children into good universities and illegally amassing wealth.

The Seoul Central District Court in February last year found him guilty of abusing power to get his children into universities and sentenced him to two years in prison. It also ordered him to forfeit 6 million won.

Cho Kuk obstructed the business of multiple universities by submitting fake certificates for his children and even took an online test on behalf of his son, a student at George Washington University.

His daughter Cho Min was accepted to Pusan National University's medical school and graduated, but after the verdict, the university announced in 2022 that it revoked her admission, thus canceling her entire degree.

Ahead of the April 10 general election, Cho Kuk announced on Feb. 13 that he formed a new political party, the Korea Innovation Party, in order to fight against "prosecutorial dictatorship."

BY LIM JEONG-WON [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]