Supreme Court upholds suspended sentence for ex-minister in 'blacklist' probe

Former Unification Minister Cho Myung-gyun has received a suspended prison sentence for allegedly forcing public officials to resign during the Moon Jae-in administration. The Supreme Court confirmed the lower court's decision on the 16th, sentencing him to six months in prison, suspended for one year, for abuse of power and obstruction of rights.

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There is sufficient room to view this as an act based on independent judgment or decision.

Cho, who served as Unification Minister, was accused of ordering the resignation of Son Kwang-ju, then president of the North Korean Refugees Support Foundation (now the North Korea Development Institute), through Vice Minister Cheon Hae-seong in July 2017. Prosecutors alleged that when Cho was informed in August of the same year that Son refused to resign, Cho directly called Son to demand his resignation, leading to the abuse of power charges.

The case became embroiled in allegations of a "blacklist" targeting public officials appointed by the previous administration. The first trial court acquitted Cho, suggesting that the Vice Minister's request for resignation might have been Son's independent decision, and that Cho's call might have been to clarify the timing of Son's already decided resignation. However, an appellate court overturned this, finding that evidence, including testimonies and documents, indicated Cho's direct involvement in demanding Son's resignation, thus acknowledging the abuse of power charge.

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The Vice Minister spoke about resignation during the meeting, and Son also stated in court that he resigned due to their pressure.

The Supreme Court dismissed Cho's appeal, upholding the appellate court's ruling. The case highlights the political tensions and accusations of retaliatory actions that emerged during the transition between presidential administrations in South Korea.

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Documents such as 'Review of Trends and Response Measures for the President of the North Korea Development Institute' support the fact that he was aware of the resignation request.