SEOUL, Korea, Republic Of — Thousands of pro-government supporters on Saturday swarmed the streets of South Korea’s capital to voice their support for the country’s beleaguered justice minister as he faces growing pressure to resign amid a criminal investigation into suspicions of financial crimes and academic favours surrounding his family.
The rally in front of state prosecutors’ offices in southern Seoul came days after huge crowds poured onto a major boulevard near the city’s downtown presidential office demanding the ouster of the minister, Cho Kuk, a close confidant of President Moon Jae-in.
The protests and counter-protests occupying streets separated by the Han River that cuts through Seoul illustrate how the months-long saga over Cho, described by pundits as a bloodless “civil war,” has further polarized a nation already grappling with deep divides along political and generational lines.
The pro-government demonstrators, responding to the battle cries of Moon’s ruling Minjoo party and the president’s unwavering support for Cho, see the ongoing investigation on Cho’s family as an attack on the liberal Moon administration.
They believe prosecutors are pushing an aggressive probe to rattle Cho, who despite the scandal is seen as a future presidential hopeful for the liberals, because his plans for reforming the country’s justice system include curbing the powers of state prosecutors.
Carrying banners, yellow balloons and signs that read “Protect Cho Kuk” and “Reform the Prosecution,” protesters occupied an avenue in front of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, roaring and chanting in support of Cho and singing along blaring protest songs performed from a stage.
“The candles you hold today will lead us past the darkness,” novelist Lee Woe-soo, a vocal supporter of Moon, said from a stage as the rally stretched into the evening. “We will absolutely win.”
Police did not provide an estimate on the size of the crowd, which appeared to be in the tens of thousands. The protest was proceeding peacefully and there were no immediate reports of major clashes or injuries as of Saturday evening.
Earlier on Saturday, prosecutors for the second time in two days summoned Cho’s wife, Chung Kyung-shim, who they indicted last month on suspicions of manipulating an award issued to her daughter from a university in the southern city of Yeongju, where she works as a professor.
Allegations that Cho’s daughter received special treatment in her admissions to a top university in Seoul and a medical school in Busan have struck a nerve in a country where teenagers toil in hyper-competitive school environments because graduating from elite universities is seen as crucial to career prospects.
Chung is also suspected of involvement in running a private-equity fund financed by Cho’s family that allegedly made dubious investments while Cho served as Moon’s secretary for civil affairs until July. Prosecutors on Thursday indicted a relative of Cho, who they arrested last month over suspicions of fraud, embezzlement and attempting to destroy evidence linked to his management of the fund.
Cho, who for years built an image as a reform-minded anti-elitist, denied any wrongdoing.
On Thursday, an estimated hundreds of thousands rallied in streets near the presidential Blue House demanding that Cho step down. These were the same streets where millions marched for months three years ago calling for the ouster of Moon’s conservative predecessor Park Geun-hye, who was removed from office in March 2017 and is currently serving a decades-long prison term over bribery and abuse of power.
Police are seeking arrest warrants against two protesters for allegedly assaulting officers during Thursday’s march during clashes near the presidential office.
In South Korea, prosecutors have exclusive authority to indict and seek warrants for criminal suspects and exercise broad control over police investigative activities. They can also directly initiate criminal investigations even when there’s no complaint.
Critics say such powers are excessive and have prompted past conservative governments to use the prosecution as a political tool to suppress opponents and carry out vendettas. Moon’s supporters often cite the tragic case of former liberal President Roh Moo-hyun, Moon’s longtime friend and political mentor, who leaped to his death in 2009 after the prosecution under the government of his conservative successor Lee Myung-bak pushed an aggressive investigation into bribery allegations surrounding his family.
The conservatives, who are now the opposition, say the ruling liberals are pressuring prosecutors over a legitimate criminal probe surrounding a prominent member of their government.
The conservatives point out it was Moon’s government that empowered Prosecutor-General Yoon Seok-yeol after he led a landmark criminal investigation against Park, and the liberals only began complaining after Yoon opened an investigation into Cho’s family following complaints filed by opposition lawmakers. The probe itself proves that the prosecution is no longer controlled by politics, the conservatives say.
Moon, who called for Yoon to be “strict” when investigating any wrongdoing by the government or ruling party when appointing him as chief prosecutor in July, has stood firmly by Cho.
Moon appointed Cho as justice minister early last month despite parliamentary resistance, saying it would set a “bad precedent” if he withdraws a ministerial nominee based on unproven allegations. On Monday, Moon, while vowing not to influence the ongoing probe, said that the prosecution should “humbly accept” public demands for change and ordered Yoon to submit reform plans.
The controversy surrounding Cho has cut into the approval ratings of Moon, who also faces pressure over a decaying job market, an uphill trade war with Japan and a fragile diplomacy with North Korea that is beginning to show signs of falling apart, an alarming development for the liberals ahead of crucial parliamentary elections next spring.
Kim Tong-Hyung, The Associated Press
