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| Justice Minister nominee Cho Kuk / Yonhap |
The prosecution on Tuesday carried out simultaneous raids on universities, a medical center and other facilities involved in snowballing corruption allegations involving Justice Minister nominee Cho Kuk and his family.
Investigators were sent to the Busan Medical Center, Seoul National University (SNU) and Korea University to collect evidence for prosecutors' probe into suspicions that Cho's 28-year-old daughter received undue preferential treatment in her college admissions and scholarship receipt.
The prosecution also raided the offices of a private equity fund (PEF), in which his family has made dubious hefty investments and a private school foundation that his mother runs.
The raid came as public uproar mounted over his qualifications amid a series of scandals ranging from illicit college admission allegations about Cho's daughter and other corruption allegations.
In particular, the academics-related allegations involving his daughter have hit a public nerve in a country where college admission is a sensitive issue.
The daughter was listed as a primary writer for a pathology paper published in a renowned medical journal when she took part in a two-week internship at a medical science institute in 2008 as a high school student. Critics speculate that the paper may have helped her enroll in Korea University in 2010.
The incumbent chief of the Busan Medical Center in the southern port city of the same name provided a scholarship worth 12 million won (US$9,887) to Cho's daughter when he served as the head of Pusan National University (PNU) Yangsan Hospital.
She received the scholarship six times in 2016-2018 though she flunked twice when she attended PNU medical school.
The SNU's graduate school of environmental studies was also subject to the raid as she took scholarships worth 8 million won for one year before she moved to PNU medical school.
Cho, former senior presidential secretary for civil affairs, also faces suspicions that his family had promised to invest 7.4 billion won in the PEF, an amount that is far larger than its total funds. The move spawns speculation that it may have been done to evade the gift tax. His relative also was involved in the operation of the fund.
The private school foundation that his mother runs is also under fire over suspicions that it may be used as a means to augment assets.
"I hope that prosecutors' investigation can swiftly clarify facts (related to the allegations)," Cho said through a spokesman of the justice ministry.
Since his nomination in an Aug. 9 Cabinet shakeup, public anger at his "hypocritical" behavior has increased as Cho, a reform-minded law professor, has preached a fair and just society and called for the need to eradicate social ills committed by the privileged.
He apologized to the public over the allegations involving his daughter for a second straight day Monday, but public sentiment remains chilly.
Over the mounting corruption allegations, the main opposition Liberty Korea Party said it will push for a bill to appoint a special counsel to investigate the relevant scandal.
"Though 11 complaints were filed with the prosecution over his scandal, anticipating the prosecution's fair probe appears to be a vain hope. So the LKP plans to prepare for a special counsel bill over his scandal," LKP floor leader Na Kyung-won said at a meeting with party members. (Yonhap)
