The nominee for South Korea’s new justice minister endured an 11-hour grilling at the hands of the media that went on into the early hours of Tuesday and focused on accusations of ethical impropriety by his family.
Facing a barrage of reporters and cameras at the National Assembly from mid-afternoon on Monday, Cho Kuk repeatedly denied allegations that his daughter had been given preferential treatment in obtaining a place at a top university.
Mr Cho’s daughter was listed as the primary author of a highly technical pathology thesis after she spent a two-week placement at a leading medical university while still a high school student.
The thesis was later submitted as part of her application to another top-ranked medical university.
Mr Cho was also quizzed about multiple scholarships that his daughter received while studying at three universities over a period of five years, despite receiving poor grades.
Mr Cho said he “did not know the detailed process” of his daughter’s thesis and denied he had been in contact with the university to request that his daughter receive preferrential treatment.
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Mr Cho also claimed that he “did not know” how a private equity fund worked after it was reported that his family had jointly invested more than £5.1 million in a fund. The family has a total declared wealth of £3.78 million, The Korea Herald reported.
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Questions have also been raised about an investment of more than £700,000 by his wife and two daughters in a private equity fund that enabled them to avoid paying gift tax.
In addition, there have been suggestions that Mr Cho’s son was able to avoid compulsory service in the South Korean military.
“I am deeply sorry and apologise over the fact that I was not strict towards my family”, Mr Cho said at the press conference.
He added an apology to young people struggling to pay university fees.
Allegations of ethical lapses are common in South Korean politics, but these allegations are particularly embarrassing as Mr Cho, a former professor of law at Seoul National University, has been nominated for South Korea’s top legal position.
He is also known for being on the Left of Korean politics and has in the past aggressively criticised the way in which the children of wealthy people are able to go to elite high schools and obtain places at top universities.
“I have dreamed of progressivism and reform since my younger days and I made my best efforts to achieve that”, Mr Cho said. “I have tried to be a reformer, but I have not been thorough with issues related to my daughter and other issues that surround me. I think I was complacent”.
Online commentators have described Mr Cho as a "hypocrite" and the support rate for Moon Jae-in, the South Korean president, fell three points to 45 percent over the weekend.
Mr Cho has said that he will not withdraw his nomination.