South Korea Court Confirms Jail for Opposition Leader in Academic Forgery Scandal

Opposition Leader’s Jail Sentence Upheld: South Korea’s Academic Fraud Verdict

The South Korean Supreme Court has upheld a two-year jail sentence for Cho Kuk, a former Justice Minister and prominent opposition leader, over his involvement in forging academic documents to secure preferential school admissions for his children.

This ruling comes after a lower court convicted him in 2023 for obstructing business processes and public document forgery.

Cho’s actions, which included falsifying documents to help his children gain entry to prestigious institutions, were deemed serious, as they undermined trust in South Korea’s education system.

His wife, Chung Kyung-shim, has already been sentenced to four years in prison for related charges. This decision also strips Cho of his parliamentary seat.