Supreme Court to rule in December for Cho Kuk's alleged abuse of power in child's college admission
[Anchor]Hello.This is KBS 9 o'clock news.The leader of the Rebuilding Korea Party, Cho Kuk, will receive a ruling on his appeal at the Supreme Court on December 12, following a five-year trial.If the original ruling, which sentenced him to two years in prison for admission fraud and covering up an investigation, is upheld, he will lose his parliamentary seat and be imprisoned.Reporter Kim Tae-hoon has the details.[Report]Cho Kuk, who has been on trial for allegations of admission fraud concerning his children and covering up an investigation at the Blue House, was sentenced to two years in prison after some charges were found guilty in both the first and second trials.[Cho Kuk/The Rebuilding Korea Party leader/Feb. 2024: "I will not give up here and will walk a new path. I will work to stop the tyranny of the prosecution."]On December 12, ten months after the second trial ruling, the Supreme Court will deliver its ruling on Cho's appeal.It has been five years since Cho was indicted in December 2019.In February of last year, the first trial recognized most of the charges related to admission fraud and the cover-up of the investigation, sentencing Cho to two years in prison.The second trial in February of this year upheld the same judgment.However, despite receiving prison sentences twice in a row, Cho was able to avoid being detained in court and was elected as a member of the 22nd National Assembly in April of this year.As the key facts related to the charges were recognized in both the first and second trials, if the Supreme Court confirms the sentence, Cho will lose his parliamentary seat and be imprisoned.Additionally, after serving his sentence, he will be restricted from running for office for five years, meaning he cannot participate in elections, including the next presidential election, for the next seven years.According to the Political Parties Act, he will also lose his party membership and must step down from his position as party leader.[Cho Kuk/The Rebuilding Korea Party leader/April, 2024/YouTube 'Kim Eo-jun's Humility is Difficult News Factory': "(If the sentence is confirmed) I have to go to prison. There’s no other way. I’ll read books, do push-ups, squats, and planks."]On the other hand, if the Supreme Court overturns the case and sends it back for retrial, it may take longer for the results of Cho's trial to be determined.This is KBS News, Kim Tae-hoon.