Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae has been reported to the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency (SCIA) for allegations of improperly distributing encouragement funds and falsifying business promotion expenses.
According to Yonhap News on October 16, the civic group Candlelight Action filed a complaint against Cho and unidentified officials from the Supreme Court Administrative Office for charges including falsifying and using false documents and violations of the Specific Crimes Aggravated Punishment Act regarding losses to the national treasury.
Candlelight Action stated, "Equality before the law must first apply to those who enforce it," and called for an investigation into potential embezzlement and violations of the Anti-Corruption and Whistleblower Protection Act, as well as possible collusion among related officials, including the head of the Supreme Court Administrative Office. Previously, the Justice Party had also reported Cho to the SCIA over similar allegations.
These allegations stem from findings released by the Board of Audit and Inspection in August, which confirmed that the Supreme Court had paid an average of 2 million won in cash monthly to Supreme Court justices from 2022 to April 2024. The audit also revealed that over 100 million won worth of wine was purchased for business promotion expenses, with unclear documentation regarding its intended use.
Additionally, there are suspicions that Cho inflated the number of attendees when settling meal expenses.
In response, the Supreme Court Administrative Office stated that Cho was not involved in the distribution of encouragement funds or the execution of business promotion expenses, and that the allegations regarding inflated attendance were due to clerical errors by staff.
Meanwhile, Kim Ji-yong, head of the SCIA, stated during a National Assembly confirmation hearing on October 14 that he believes an investigation is possible if a complaint is filed regarding the allegations against Cho.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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