Hyosung Chairman wants brother punished in ongoing family legal battle
Translated from Korean, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.
At a glance
News
Sources not specified
In the courts
- Hyosung Group Chairman Cho Hyun-joon testified in court, stating he wishes for his younger brother, former Vice President Cho Hyun-moon, to be punished.
- The trial concerns allegations that Cho Hyun-moon threatened his brother to issue a press release portraying him as central to the company's growth and to apologize for slandering his wife.
- This legal battle is part of a long-standing family feud that began in 2014, involving accusations of embezzlement and breach of trust, and has continued even after their father's death with inheritance lawsuits.
The long-simmering "Hyosung brothers' feud" has reached a new legal confrontation, with Hyosung Group Chairman Cho Hyun-joon appearing in court to state his desire for his younger brother, former Vice President Cho Hyun-moon, to face punishment. The brothers, who have been estranged since a management dispute in 2014, faced each other in the Seoul Central District Court on May 21 for the first time in years.
I want Cho Hyun-moon to be punished. I just wish we could go our separate ways now. I hope we don't continue to trouble our family with lawsuits and accusations anymore.
The current trial centers on allegations that Cho Hyun-moon threatened his brother, Chairman Cho Hyun-joon. The prosecution claims that Cho Hyun-moon coerced his brother into issuing a press release highlighting his significant contributions to the company's growth and into apologizing for defaming his wife. Failure to comply, the allegations suggest, would have resulted in Cho Hyun-moon exposing alleged corruptions within the company.
My father said before he died, 'There is no other way to make Hyun-moon repent than this,' and 'I hope he repents even if it's like this.' He told me not to withdraw the lawsuit until the very end, saying he hoped Hyun-moon would repent.
Chairman Cho Hyun-joon testified that he wishes for his brother's punishment, stating, "I just wish we could go our separate ways now. I hope we don't continue to trouble our family with lawsuits and accusations anymore." He revealed that their late father, former Hyosung Group Chairman Cho Seok-rae, had expressed a desire for Cho Hyun-moon to repent, even through such legal means, and urged him not to withdraw the lawsuit before his death.
He has fallen into a belief in the omnipotence of lawsuits.
The legal disputes between the brothers began in 2014 when Cho Hyun-moon, after leaving Hyosung, filed complaints against Chairman Cho Hyun-joon and other executives for alleged embezzlement and breach of trust. This was followed by a countersuit from Chairman Cho Hyun-joon in 2017. The conflict has become more complex since the death of their father, Cho Seok-rae, with Cho Hyun-moon filing lawsuits against his siblings for a share of the inheritance. Chairman Cho Hyun-joon criticized his brother's approach, calling it "a belief in the omnipotence of lawsuits."
It does not align with objective facts. I have never thought that way. Unless it was a coercive demand, we could not have issued such a statement.
DistantNews Editorial
Originally published by Hankyoreh in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.
More Stories
From Our Blog
What Gets Lost (and Found) When News Is Translated
The Critical Role of Diaspora Media in Global News
What Travellers Should Know About Countries with Restricted Press
A Digital Nomad's Guide to Following Local News
How the Same Story Looks Different in Different Countries
