Cho Hyun-ok, a former Blue House senior presidential secretary for personnel affairs who was brought to trial on charges of abusing authority by naming former Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Lee Sang-jik as chair of the Korea SMEs and Startups Agency (KOSME), was acquitted at the first trial.
The Seoul Central District Court's Criminal Division 27 (Presiding Judge Woo In-seong) on the 28th opened the sentencing hearing for former senior secretary Cho, who was indicted on charges of abuse of authority and obstruction of another's exercise of rights, and delivered a not-guilty verdict.
The court said, "To recognize the charges, there must be evidence of what instructions, if any, were given to staff in the Human Resources Management Office, including the Blue House personnel secretary, regarding former lawmaker Lee's appointment as KOSME chair," adding, "The record does not show that former senior secretary Cho directly instructed KOSME officials." Earlier, on the 12th of last month, prosecutors sought a one-year prison term for former senior secretary Cho.
Former senior secretary Cho was appointed Blue House senior presidential secretary for personnel affairs in May 2017 when the Moon Jae-in administration launched and served until May 2019. Prosecutors said that in December 2017, after designating former lawmaker Lee as KOSME chair, former senior secretary Cho had those in charge proceed with the related procedures, and brought the case to trial in December 2024.
The former lawmaker is the founder of Eastar Jet Co. In the 2012 general election, running in the Jeonju Wansan B district of North Jeolla Province as a member of the Democratic United Party (now the Democratic Party of Korea), he was elected. In the 2016 general election, he was defeated in the party primary.
The former lawmaker was appointed KOSME chair in Feb. 2018. Seo, a person formerly the son-in-law of former President Moon, found employment as an executive in July of the same year at the Thai airline Thai Eastar Jet, which the former lawmaker effectively owned.
Prosecutors believe former President Moon appointed the former lawmaker as KOSME chair in anticipation of Seo's hiring. In April last year, they indicted former President Moon without detention on charges of violating the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes (bribery) over Seo's hiring. Prosecutors judged that about 217 million won in salary and housing costs Seo received as an executive at Thai Eastar Jet constituted a bribe received by former President Moon.
Prosecutors indicted the former lawmaker without detention on charges of offering a bribe and breach of trust for granting favors to former President Moon's family.
In the case of former President Moon's alleged receipt of bribes, a pretrial conference to sort out the main issues of the case is underway. A decision is expected on whether to hold a citizen-participation trial in March.