A disgraced former justice minister who became the leader of the third-largest political party said Sunday he proposed talks with President Yoon Suk Yeol.
Cho Kuk, the leader of the new Rebuilding Korea Party, made the proposal in a Facebook posting, days after his party secured 12 proportional seats — the third-largest political party in the 300-member parliament.
“As the leader of the third-largest party, I hope to meet President Yoon Suk Yeol anytime, in any format,” Cho said.
Cho, a former prominent law professor at Seoul National University, had served as the senior presidential secretary for civil affairs from 2017 to 2019 under the preceding Moon Jae-in administration. As one of Moon’s closest aides, Cho was subsequently appointed as justice minister in September 2019.
However, he resigned in disgrace about a month later following an investigation into an academic fraud case involving his children, when Yoon was prosecutor-general.
Cho was convicted of academic fraud in connection with his daught
er’s college admissions and unlawful interference with a separate government inspection. In February, an appeals court upheld a two-year prison sentence for Cho. A final guilty verdict could strip Cho of the parliamentary seat.
Source: Yonhap News Agency