{"id":2201360,"date":"2023-06-13T19:07:56","date_gmt":"2023-06-13T10:07:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/?p=2201360"},"modified":"2023-06-14T18:31:08","modified_gmt":"2023-06-14T09:31:08","slug":"the-pathless-path-cho-kuk-hints-at-independent-run-in-south-korean-election","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/06\/the-pathless-path-cho-kuk-hints-at-independent-run-in-south-korean-election\/","title":{"rendered":"The \u2018pathless path\u2019: Cho Kuk hints at independent run in South Korean election"},"content":{"rendered":"
South Korea is once again bracing for a significant political shakeup. Former justice minister Cho Kuk is apparently feeling out the prospect of running for parliament in next year\u2019s national elections, sending ripples across the political landscape, particularly within the ranks of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP).<\/span><\/p>\n The potential implications of his prospective candidacy on South Korea\u2019s political dynamics are sparking significant <\/span>debate<\/span><\/a>. Cho is a well-known but divisive public figure, serving as the senior secretary to the president for civil affairs and briefly as justice minister in the Moon administration before he was forced to resign over allegations of abuse of power.<\/span><\/p>\n Cho met with Moon over the weekend, their first public face-to-face since his resignation in 2019 amid widespread protests.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIn this era of regression and backsliding, when all aspects of the Moon Jae-in administration are being negated and vilified, I am contemplating my next move,\u201d Cho wrote on <\/span>social media<\/span><\/a> after the encounter. \u201cI shall venture the pathless path, devoid of any map or compass.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n This cryptic reference to a \u201cpathless path\u201d has led to <\/span>a raft of speculation<\/span><\/a> that Cho may try for public office, and his next opportunity to do so is during the general elections in April 2024. Politicos expect he would do so as an independent, distancing himself from the DP.<\/span><\/p>\n TURBULENT PAST<\/b><\/p>\n Cho Kuk\u2019s brief stint as South Korea\u2019s justice minister from Sept. to Oct. 2019 was marred by controversy and <\/span>public protests<\/span><\/a>, ultimately culminating in his resignation.<\/span><\/p>\n Cho found himself at the epicenter of multiple allegations. Conservative commentators frequently accused him of <\/span>plagiarizing his master\u2019s thesis<\/span><\/a> in 1989. Additionally, he was embroiled in <\/span>tax delinquency allegations<\/span><\/a>, further complicated by controversies involving a <\/span>private equity fund<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n His family\u2019s alleged involvement in this fund only added fuel to the fire.<\/span><\/p>\n The most damning of the allegations pertained to his daughter, Cho Min, who was accused of <\/span>fabricating<\/span><\/a> her academic records to gain admission into elite universities. The allegations, once surfaced, led to widespread student-led protests against Cho, leading the DP <\/span>to lose the support<\/span><\/a> of largely progressive young voters.<\/span><\/p>\n His wife, Chung Kyung-sim, was found culpable in a case of academic fraud, wherein she forged documents to facilitate their daughter\u2019s college and graduate school admissions. The fallout was severe: Chung was <\/span>sentenced<\/span><\/a> to a four-year prison term and slapped with a hefty fine of $393,000 (500 million won).<\/span><\/p>\n Cho Kuk, too, received a <\/span>two-year prison sentence<\/span><\/a> and a fine of $4,700 (6 million won) in February for his involvement in forging documents for his children\u2019s higher education admissions, among other charges. Cho\u2019s legal woes remain ongoing, and the string of scandals led to his <\/span>dismissal<\/span><\/a> from his teaching position at Seoul National University on Tuesday.<\/span><\/p>\n In his weekend post, Cho lamented that he and his family had to endure \u201chell\u201d over the past few years.<\/span><\/p>\n