South Korea’s Supreme Court Upholds Two-Year Sentence For Opposition Leader Cho Kuk

South Korea’s Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a two-year prison sentence for Cho Kuk, a prominent opposition leader and former justice minister, over charges of forging academic documents to aid his children’s admission to prestigious schools.

In its decision, the court affirmed the lower court’s ruling, stating, “The Supreme Court finds the charges of obstruction of business, and public and private document forgery… against the defendant to be valid.”

Cho, once a high-profile academic and close aide to former President Moon Jae-in, was a key figure in South Korean politics and a potential presidential contender. His downfall stems from allegations that he falsified academic credentials to benefit his son and daughter in college and graduate school admissions.

In 2023, Seoul’s Central District Court sentenced Cho to two years in prison, emphasising, “The nature of his crimes is grave, as he exploited his position as a college professor to obstruct admissions processes over many years.”

The ruling also means Cho will lose his parliamentary seat. As a member of the liberal Rebuilding Korea Party, Cho played a significant role in the party’s anti-Yoon Suk Yeol platform, which won 12 seats in this year’s parliamentary elections.

The Supreme Court’s decision comes amid a turbulent political landscape in South Korea, marked by Cho’s efforts to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol following Yoon’s controversial imposition of martial law, which triggered widespread political unrest.

Cho is expected to begin his sentence soon, with local media reporting that prosecutors have requested him to report to a correctional facility as early as Friday.