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Portmanteau, satirical works about justice minister nominee in vogue
By Kang Hyun-kyung
In his 2012 tweets, justice minister nominee Cho Kuk was critical of Korean society which, according to him, no longer allowed people with humble beginnings to succeed.
"We like the story about creek dragons," he tweeted. Creek dragons refer to self-made people or those who achieved dramatic success after overcoming their humble beginnings.
"Unfortunately, the chances for creek dragons are getting slimmer due to the widening income gap which pits the top 10 percent of highest-paid people against the remaining 90 percent… The thing is we can make it work. We can create the creek ecosystem to help every species there, such as carp, crawfish and frogs, feel happy about being themselves, even though they are not going to become creek dragons. Together, we can make a beautiful, warm creek that can make every species happier."
Cho didn't walk the talk.
In his own terms, he is not the person who tried to create a "warm, livable creek for carbs, crawfish and frogs." He himself was the destroyer of the ecosystem, according to recent evidence.
His daughter is embroiled in allegations that some of her credentials, including her position as lead author of a medical paper and her volunteering award, are fake or fraudulent.
His wife, Chung Kyung-shim, has been indicted for having fabricated a Dongyang University prize that was awarded to her daughter.
Over the past three weeks since Cho Kuk was nominated, thousands of media reports about his and his family's unethical, unjust and dubious actions have been produced.
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| Justice Minister nominee Cho Kuk |
Cho's double standards became the subject of criticism at the confirmation hearing on Friday at the National Assembly. Cho was criticized by his former student, Rep. Keum Tae-sup of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea. Cho was Keum's advisor when the latter attended the doctoral program at the Seoul National University School of Law.
Rep. Keum gave a lecture on ethics in front of his former advisor. "People are mad if their counterparts speak in different languages. They asked this but their counterparts didn't answer directly and intentionally provided wrong answers. Those who're asking become tired of this because they think their counterparts are trying to fool them," said the lawmaker.
"Mr. Nominee, in the past you've talked a lot about fairness through social media. Your posts gave comfort to frustrated younger people and they thought there are people like you who lead an exemplary life… The younger people are now in shock because they learned you are a completely different person and your life is far from what you wrote," he said.
Some commentators called Cho a narcissist.
"Cho Kuk fatigue" has inspired various satirical memes and new words that are becoming popular online.
One has a picture of the nominee wearing an onion on his head like a wig. Under the photo reads the title, "Mr. Onion." In Korea, people use the word "onion" to describe people shrouded in mystery. You keep peeling away layers and you'll discover something new.
Cho's newly-earned nickname "Mr. Onion" is satire deriding the nominee for a host of allegations and suspicions surrounding himself and his family members.
Some internet users call him "sasi-no-pass" (a person who didn't pass the state bar exam), raising doubts about his qualifications as justice minister who is in charge of law enforcement agencies, including the prosecution. The portmanteau hints that the public remains unconvinced that a nominee who studied law but didn't pass the state exam can be in control of the ministry.
Placards that mock the nominee were spotted in several parts of Seoul in late August.
The title reads "No Cho Kuk." Underneath it reads "I don't take exams. I don't study. I don't pay tuition because my father is Cho Kuk."
Cho Jin-man, a professor of political science at Duksung Women's University, said the younger generation harbors anger and frustration deep in their hearts and this has triggered the creation and spread of satirical works.
"The younger generation displays various negative feelings toward the justice nominee," he told The Korea Times. "They are furious about him for the deep gap between his words and his deeds. They are angry because he talked a lot about the importance of fairness but he didn't walk the walk. He was just talk."
The worst part is that innocent victims are suffering.
The Korean Society of Pathologists last week retracted the medical paper "eNOS Gene Polymorphisms in Perinatal Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy," –- the paper which lists Cho's daughter as the lead author -- for infringement of professional ethical codes. Except for Cho's daughter, there are five other researchers in the Dankook University School of Medicine who participated in the years-long research project. Their sweat and years of hard work have been wasted.
Cho tried to shield himself from the fallout.
During the confirmation hearing, the nominee said neither he nor his daughter had anything to do with the tragic fate of the medical paper. "The retraction of the paper is an issue for Professor Chang Young-pyo (who led the research project), not me, my wife or my daughter," he said.
His remarks are contradictory to Professor Chang who said in a media interview that Cho's wife "solicited" his help to build her daughter's credentials.
Several universities, including Dankook University and Busan National University, have also suffered from the fallout of the Cho scandal as it has dealt a blow to their reputation.
