Subscribe
E-Paper
 |
| Justice Minister nominee Cho Kuk gets emotional during a press conference at the National Assembly, Monday, after the political parties failed to hold a planned confirmation hearing. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul |
By Park Ji-won
Cheong Wa Dae is pressing ahead with the controversial appointment of justice minister nominee Cho Kuk despite rising calls for the withdrawal of his nomination following allegations of corruption involving him and family members.
The presidential office is planning to request a parliamentary confirmation hearing report Tuesday, even though the political parties failed to agree on holding the hearing that was scheduled to take place for two days starting Monday. The parties failed to narrow their differences on including Cho's family members as key witnesses. President Moon Jae-in has appointed 16 high-level officials without an Assembly confirmation report, but public discontent is likely to be higher this time given that Cheong Wa Dae has placed special importance on the former senior presidential aide for civil affairs as a symbol of social reform.
"It is largely expected that the presidential office will appoint Cho next Monday," a presidential source said.
Cheong Wa Dae has defied public calls to withdraw the nomination and called on the parties to conduct the confirmation hearing in a show of support for Cho. After the parties failed to hold the hearing, Cho appeared at a press conference at the National Assembly organized by the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) at the request of the nominee for a "public verification" of his credentials. During the press conference, he showed no signs of accepting the rising calls from the people against his nomination, particularly from the younger generation, after allegations surfaced about irregularities in his daughter's university admission.
"I am sorry about causing huge disappointment," Cho said. "I did not know about the allegations regarding my daughter's thesis and have recently been informed about it in the verification process of my nomination." He said that there were no irregularities regarding the internships and scholarships that have become the center of controversy over suspicions of preferential treatment.
"I will listen to criticism from anyone who has called for my withdrawal," Cho said, in reference to the rallies spreading across universities his daughter attended. "I will seek to address the misunderstandings, communicate with them, and apologize for things I might have done wrong."
Cheong Wa Dae said the press conference was an inevitable move to give the people a chance to hear Cho's side of the story. "The people will decide for themselves whether the press conference was appropriate or not," presidential senior secretary for public communication Yoon Do-han told reporters during a press briefing.
The political parties have remained divided over the details of the hearing. The main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP) wanted to summon Cho's family members and hold the hearing next week, while the ruling Democratic Party of Korea has been demanding that the hearing should be held as initially agreed upon by the parties on Monday and Tuesday. The LKP later gave up its demand regarding Cho's family.
National Assembly approval of the candidate is not necessary for President Moon to appoint Cho as justice minister.
Moon chose the former senior presidential secretary for civil affairs as the new justice minister in August. But Cho faced a series of allegations involving his family members, including suspicions about his daughter's entry into prestigious universities and his family's doubtful investment in a private equity fund. Prosecutors have officially started investigating these allegations.
Cho is a key aide to Moon and is expected to push a reform of the prosecution, which was one of the key election promises made by the President.
