South Korea's former Justice Minister Cho Kuk during inauguration ceremony of the National Innovation Party in Goyang

Cho Kuk, March 3, 2024 : Cho Kuk, South Korea's former Justice Minister under the previous liberal Moon Jae-In administration, speaks at inauguration ceremony of the National Innovation Party in Goyang, north of Seoul, South Korea, ahead of the April 10 general elections. Cho was elected unanimously as leader of the party on Sunday. Cho Kuk was an architect of the liberal government's prosecution reform scheme including creating an independent unit to investigate corruption by high-ranking government officials and granting police more authority. Cho, a former law professor at Seoul National University, served as the senior presidential secretary for civil affairs from 2017-19 during the Moon's presidency and he was appointed as the justice minister in September 2019 before stepping down about a month later. Influential prosecutors led by then prosecutor general Yoon Suk-Yeol, had investigated into allegations against Cho's family which were mostly raised by at the time conservative opposition parties and news outlets. Then prosecutor general Yoon Suk-Yeol had clashed with President Moon government's justice ministers over a prosecution reform drive. (Photo by Lee Jae-Won/AFLO)