Former President Moon Jae-in recently hosted a birthday celebration for former Justice Minister Cho Kuk, who turned sixty in prison, and Baek Won-woo, the former civil affairs secretary.
Hwang Hyun-seon, secretary general of the Rebuilding Korea Party, noted on Facebook on the 24th that when former Representative Cho and others met with former President Moon Jae-in in Pyeongsan Village, Yangsan City, during the visit, "there was a late birthday party for former Representative Cho and former Secretary Baek hosted by former President Moon," and posted several photos. Both former Representative Cho and former Secretary Baek worked in the civil affairs office at the Blue House during the Moon Jae-in administration.
In the released photos, former Representative Cho and former Secretary Baek were seen clapping and laughing in front of a cake. The cake had the inscription, "Cho Kuk & Baek Won-woo, we bless your new beginning," and a candle with the number '60' was also placed on it.
Secretary General Hwang said, "Both of them celebrated their sixtieth birthdays in prison. The civil affairs office hasn't been able to laugh freely since 2019. Today, they finally laughed heartily," and added, "Today, former President Moon must have also laid down a significant burden."
He added, "For both former Representative Cho and former Secretary Baek, it must have been a more meaningful day, as it was a celebration with comrades from the civil affairs office who shared the rain together, keeping the bonds we once made," and expressed gratitude to President Lee Jae-myung for making it possible for all the comrades from the civil affairs office to gather.
Former Representative Cho, who began serving a two-year prison sentence after being convicted of bribery related to his children's college admissions, started his prison life on December 16th last year and was pardoned as part of the Liberation Day special amnesty on August 15th.
Former Secretary Baek was also sentenced to ten months in prison for allegedly covering up investigations by the Blue House's special inspection team against former Busan Deputy Mayor Yoo Jae-soo. He was imprisoned on December 13th last year but was released through the Liberation Day special pardon.