Justice Minister Cho Kuk steps down
Scandal-stricken Justice Minister Cho Kuk stepped down from his post Monday amid an ongoing investigation into corruption allegations involving his family, 35 days after he was appointed despite strong objections from the opposition bloc.
(Yonhap)
President Moon Jae-in accepted his resignation. During his meeting with senior aides on Monday afternoon, Moon reiterated his determination to push for the overhaul of the prosecution and expressed regret at having caused “conflicts” among Koreans.
“I thought my family affairs should not burden the president and the administration any longer,” Cho said in a statement issued some two hours after announcing measures to reform the prosecution.
“I think the time has come that prosecution reform can be completed successfully only after I step down,” he said a day before he was set to be grilled at a parliamentary audit as justice minister. “I am no more than a ‘kindling’ for reforming the prosecution. My role as a ‘kindling’ ends here.”
The resignation of Cho, Moon’s former presidential secretary for civil affairs, came as efforts to overhaul the prosecution gained pace.
Just a few hours earlier, Cho announced the ministry’s plan to put the reform measures on the agenda at an upcoming Cabinet meeting. The measures are aimed at curbing the power of prosecutors in direct investigations.
Only three “special investigation units” -- elite squads probing corruption allegations involving high-ranking officials -- will remain under prosecutors’ offices in Seoul, Daegu and Gwangju and will be renamed “anti-corruption investigation units.”
The prosecution has been criticized for holding too much power, as it monopolizes the rights to close probes and file charges against suspects. Critics have called the special units a source of cozy connections among prosecutors, politicians and business tycoons.
Some controversial practices -- such as public summoning, late-night and long hours of questioning and the revelation of criminal charges of suspects -- will be corrected, to better protect the suspects’ rights.
Cho’s resignation came after officials from the presidential office and ruling Democratic Party of Korea lawmakers agreed to push for swift judicial reform at a meeting Sunday.
“The strong will of Justice Minister Cho Kuk for the prosecution reform and the attitude of enduring all the difficulties for it have gained empathy from the public on the need for the prosecution reform, which became a huge driving force,” Moon said Monday, adding he had hoped for reform by the “fantastic combination” of Cho and Prosecutor-General Yoon Seok-youl.
Yoon has also laid out internal measures to revamp the law enforcement agency, with a focus on balancing the authority of the prosecution and improving controversial investigation practices.
Cho, a key architect of the Moon administration’s road map for judicial reform, was appointed Sept. 9 despite strong protests from the opposition bloc. Moon had hailed him as the right person to complete the mission.
The prosecution’s sweeping investigation into Cho’s family, however, pressured him to step down.
Cho also apologized to the public for the corruption scandal.
“I felt apologetic to the public regarding the investigation into (my) family, but I put up with it each day with the determination to do my ‘last part’ for the prosecution reform as a minister, even for a few days, before disappearing,” he said in the statement.
“Now, I believe parties, the government and the presidential office have joined hands to complete the prosecution reform,” he said, calling it a “historic task” that no other administration has been able to accomplish.
Cho’s relative was arrested for allegedly running a shady private equity fund, and Cho’s wife, Chung Kyung-shim, is suspected of having conspired with him. She was summoned for questioning for the fifth time on Monday and requested that questioning be stopped after learning about her husband’s resignation.
Separately, Chung was brought to trial over allegations that she forged academic credentials for her daughter using her status and connections, to help her gain admission to a prestigious university and medical school.
Court proceedings for Chung are scheduled to begin Friday.
Cho’s appointment had divided the county, with opposing sides -- those who supported Cho and those who demanded his resignation – taking to the streets for the past month, most recently Saturday.
A coalition of university students also held a demonstration Saturday, demanding a “fair society” and the resignation of Cho over allegations that his daughter enjoyed preferential treatment due to his status and connections.
The scandal surrounding Cho’s family appears to have dragged down President Moon’s approval rating to its lowest level since he took office in May 2017.
His approval rating fell 3 percentage points on-week to 41.4 percent, according to a survey of 2,502 adults by Realmeter. The proportion of people critical of Moon rose 3.8 percentage points to 56.1 percent from a week earlier.
A separate Realmeter survey of 500 adults on Friday showed that 55.9 percent of South Koreans wanted the justice minister to step down.
(laeticia.ock@heraldcorp.com)
President Moon Jae-in accepted his resignation. During his meeting with senior aides on Monday afternoon, Moon reiterated his determination to push for the overhaul of the prosecution and expressed regret at having caused “conflicts” among Koreans.
“I thought my family affairs should not burden the president and the administration any longer,” Cho said in a statement issued some two hours after announcing measures to reform the prosecution.
“I think the time has come that prosecution reform can be completed successfully only after I step down,” he said a day before he was set to be grilled at a parliamentary audit as justice minister. “I am no more than a ‘kindling’ for reforming the prosecution. My role as a ‘kindling’ ends here.”
The resignation of Cho, Moon’s former presidential secretary for civil affairs, came as efforts to overhaul the prosecution gained pace.
Just a few hours earlier, Cho announced the ministry’s plan to put the reform measures on the agenda at an upcoming Cabinet meeting. The measures are aimed at curbing the power of prosecutors in direct investigations.
Only three “special investigation units” -- elite squads probing corruption allegations involving high-ranking officials -- will remain under prosecutors’ offices in Seoul, Daegu and Gwangju and will be renamed “anti-corruption investigation units.”
The prosecution has been criticized for holding too much power, as it monopolizes the rights to close probes and file charges against suspects. Critics have called the special units a source of cozy connections among prosecutors, politicians and business tycoons.
Some controversial practices -- such as public summoning, late-night and long hours of questioning and the revelation of criminal charges of suspects -- will be corrected, to better protect the suspects’ rights.
Cho’s resignation came after officials from the presidential office and ruling Democratic Party of Korea lawmakers agreed to push for swift judicial reform at a meeting Sunday.
“The strong will of Justice Minister Cho Kuk for the prosecution reform and the attitude of enduring all the difficulties for it have gained empathy from the public on the need for the prosecution reform, which became a huge driving force,” Moon said Monday, adding he had hoped for reform by the “fantastic combination” of Cho and Prosecutor-General Yoon Seok-youl.
Yoon has also laid out internal measures to revamp the law enforcement agency, with a focus on balancing the authority of the prosecution and improving controversial investigation practices.
Cho, a key architect of the Moon administration’s road map for judicial reform, was appointed Sept. 9 despite strong protests from the opposition bloc. Moon had hailed him as the right person to complete the mission.
The prosecution’s sweeping investigation into Cho’s family, however, pressured him to step down.
Cho also apologized to the public for the corruption scandal.
“I felt apologetic to the public regarding the investigation into (my) family, but I put up with it each day with the determination to do my ‘last part’ for the prosecution reform as a minister, even for a few days, before disappearing,” he said in the statement.
“Now, I believe parties, the government and the presidential office have joined hands to complete the prosecution reform,” he said, calling it a “historic task” that no other administration has been able to accomplish.
Cho’s relative was arrested for allegedly running a shady private equity fund, and Cho’s wife, Chung Kyung-shim, is suspected of having conspired with him. She was summoned for questioning for the fifth time on Monday and requested that questioning be stopped after learning about her husband’s resignation.
Separately, Chung was brought to trial over allegations that she forged academic credentials for her daughter using her status and connections, to help her gain admission to a prestigious university and medical school.
Court proceedings for Chung are scheduled to begin Friday.
Cho’s appointment had divided the county, with opposing sides -- those who supported Cho and those who demanded his resignation – taking to the streets for the past month, most recently Saturday.
A coalition of university students also held a demonstration Saturday, demanding a “fair society” and the resignation of Cho over allegations that his daughter enjoyed preferential treatment due to his status and connections.
The scandal surrounding Cho’s family appears to have dragged down President Moon’s approval rating to its lowest level since he took office in May 2017.
His approval rating fell 3 percentage points on-week to 41.4 percent, according to a survey of 2,502 adults by Realmeter. The proportion of people critical of Moon rose 3.8 percentage points to 56.1 percent from a week earlier.
A separate Realmeter survey of 500 adults on Friday showed that 55.9 percent of South Koreans wanted the justice minister to step down.
(laeticia.ock@heraldcorp.com)
(责任编辑:资讯)
推荐文章
-
21 Unexpected Wonders in Colorado’s Vibrant Cities and Small Towns
Between Colorado’s storied ranges, folded into its valleys and sprinkled across its plains, you’ll f ...[详细] -
本报讯 昨14)日下午4时许,广州亚残会射击馆传来消息:雅安籍射击运动员苟定超在男子小口径步枪50米3×40的决赛中,以一环之差不敌韩国选手而获亚军。当天上午11时30分,男子小口径步枪50米3×40 ...[详细]
-
基层党员大会“公推直选”现场 市委组织部供图雅安撤地设市的十年,也是干部人事制度改革不断推进的十年。雅安把“公推直选”作为深化干部人事制度改革的重要内容来抓,不断探索,不断积累,有效扩大了党内基层民主 ...[详细]
-
本报讯 为贯彻落实公安部“大走访”开门评警活动精神,增强警民联系,促进社会和谐,19日,省公安厅党委委员、纪委书记黄一一行前往名山县看望慰问特困民警。副市长、市公安局局长曹长江等随同前往。在特困民警杨 ...[详细]
-
CPUs Don't Matter For 4K Gaming... Wrong!
Something we hear a lot these days, especially when it comes to CPU benchmarking, is that CPU perfor ...[详细] -
工人冒雪进行风貌塑造本报讯 昨10)日是“三九”的第二天,雪花飘落,寒冷异常,这并没有阻挡住我市风貌塑造的脚步。“哐哐哐”,上午9时,雪下得正大,施工的声音和往常一样,从绿网笼罩的华兴街某小区内传出, ...[详细]
-
本报讯 日前,记者从市司法局司法考试科了解到,2010年司法考试成绩已经出炉,考生可以通过国家司法部网站www.moj.gov.cn查询成绩或者到国家司法考试网www.cnsikao.com的2010 ...[详细]
-
张玉美是市区一家茶楼领班,3个多月前的一天晚上,她揣着5000多元营业款走在回家路上,突然遭遇了“飞车党”的抢劫。在几乎毫无线索的情况下,雨城警方经过努力,终于从茫茫人海中将犯罪嫌疑人捉拿归案。凌晨 ...[详细]
-
Yoon, US Senate's armed service committee chief discuss alliance, N.K. threats
President Yoon Suk Yeol (right) shakes hands with Sen. Jack Reed, chairman of the US Senate's a ...[详细] -
名山县红岩乡青龙村一组,不久后,这片绿油油的生态茶园就会成为观光区中华全国供销合作总社杭州茶叶研究院院长张士康说,雅安多名茶,少名牌。这样的局面,是因为创新不够吗?我们把目光投向雨城区某藏茶企业。场景 ...[详细]
热点阅读