South Korean justice chief scandal inflames anger at country’s ‘golden spoon’ elites
- A pledge by President Moon Jae-in to break with his country’s scandal-plagued politics is ringing hollow with many Koreans after his justice minister’s family became ensnared in a corruption probe
- Cho Kuk’s wife and brother are accused of offences ranging from bribery to embezzlement, but supporters say the minister is being targeted because of his push to curb the powers of prosecutors
“In the government of Moon Jae-in and the Democratic Party, opportunity will be equal,” Moon, a former student activist and human rights lawyer, said in his first presidential address in May 2017. “The process will be fair. The result will be righteous.”
For weeks, newly appointed justice chief Cho Kuk has been dogged by allegations of corruption against his family, including his wife, who has been indicted on suspicion of faking academic credentials to help her daughter gain admission to medical school – an explosive charge in a society where academic achievement is seen as the ultimate pathway to success. Prosecutors also accuse Cho’s wife of financial irregularities and his brother of committing bribery and embezzlement through a family-run school foundation.
Moon appointed Cho, a law professor and liberal icon, as the top law official last month in the face of fierce political opposition, arguing that the allegations against his family were not proven and he was best placed to carry out much-needed reform of the prosecutions system, which has long been plagued by accusations of political bias and abuse of power. Unlike in many countries where powers are shared more evenly with the police, South Korean prosecutors have exclusive authority to indict suspects and request warrants, and are empowered to supervise and direct police investigations.