The corruption scandal of relatives of Justice Minister Cho Kuk raises doubts about the privileged elites in South Korea.

When President Moon Jae-in took office after his predecessor was charged with corruption, he pledged to build a "world without privileges," where every Korean citizen has the same opportunity. But now, he is caught up in a scandal involving Justice Minister Cho Kuk, sparking skepticism about the elite who set their own rules in the country.

Over the past few weeks, the new Justice Minister Cho Kuk's family has been caught up in many corruption allegations, including his wife, who is accused of falsifying education records to send a daughter to medical school, an accusation. "In a society that considers education to be the most important path to success.

Mr. Cho's wife is also accused of being involved in a family fund that made suspicious investments in a light switch company. Minister Cho's nephew was arrested by a Seoul court in mid-September. The prosecutor also accused Mr. Cho's brother of embezzlement and bribery through a private school.

Mr. Cho used to be the president's senior secretary in civil affairs and was considered a potential presidential candidate. He denied any allegations of misconduct and vowed not to intervene in an investigation aimed at the family. The Blue House has not yet commented on the incident.

Over the past two weeks, student groups and conservative activists have staged protests of up to several million people in the capital Seoul to call for both Moon and Cho to resign.

In a poll released by Hankook Research on October 10, 54% of respondents said Mr. Cho should not be appointed Minister of Justice.

For many Koreans, the scandal has become yet another example of those born with a "golden spoon in their mouth", the term used to refer to the privilege of their children, relatives of the elite in Korea. Quoc, An Jun-seong, assistant professor at Yonsei University in Seoul, said.

"Most Koreans see the Cho Kuk controversy as a manifestation of a new type of unfair competition in education," said Professor An.

According to An, the prestigious education path of Cho Kuk's daughter, from international high school to medical university, has been meticulously and skillfully arranged with the help of several famous professors. They are said to have economic or political interests and maintain a good relationship with the president's senior secretary on civil matters, one of the most powerful people at the Blue House.

As the frustration with the Cho family's scandal increased, Moon's support fell to a record low of 44.4%, according to the Realmeter poll, although the rate once soared to more than 80. % in the early years of your presidency.

Hong Deuk-pyo, emeritus professor of political science at Inha University, said the scandal exposed the hypocritical face of some of the confidants around President Moon. "This situation has tarnished Moon's image in his efforts to become a reliable President," Hong said.

Supporters of the Justice Minister, meanwhile, also organized marches and accused prosecutors against the Cho family because he tried to curb their power, such as reducing investigative powers. Directly and limit the interview to a maximum of 8 hours.

According to South Korean law, prosecutors have great power, when they can prosecute suspects and demand arrest warrants, are given the right to supervise and direct police investigations.

"For each commitment to radically reform the authority of the criminal agency as Minister of Justice," said Shin Kwang-yeong, a professor of sociology at Chung-Ang University. "The prosecution is an almost inviolable organization in South Korea that used to be an authoritarian instrument in the past thanks to monopoly power in the prosecution process."

Shin said the current argument actually reflected a bitter conflict between "reform advocates and opponents", accusing conservative media of leaking untested documents. Prosecutor voucher. "The exaggerated allegations have affected public opinion," he said.

Corruption is a fairly common allegation in South Korean politics, where three of the seven presidents have been imprisoned for multiple crimes since 1987. Former President Roh Moo-hyun committed suicide in 2009 when Prosecutors investigated his family on suspicion of corruption.

Moon's predecessor, Park Geun-hye, lost her post after being accused of corruption and scandals surrounding the mysterious aide, Choi Soon-sil, who enjoyed many privileges, including the bringing up of children. Girl enrolls at a prestigious university in Seoul.

Park was sentenced to more than 30 years in prison after a trial last year on charges such as abuse of power, bribery and interference in the 2016 congressional elections, Park's predecessor, Lee Myung-bak. , last year was sentenced to 15 years in prison for accepting bribes and embezzlement.

In his inaugural speech, Moon pledged to become an "integrity" president and to end the "unfortunate history" of presidential scandals in South Korea. Nearly half of the 5-year term has passed, his commitment is facing the greatest challenge.

"People are becoming more and more annoyed with the Moon administration," said Dong Yon Kim, a former journalist and air force officer who works for KORGAD, a non-governmental organization focusing on national security. , talk. "It is a mix of various angry emotions formed from a series of processes that are considered to be unfair, governmentless," he said.