Anchor: In the wake of allegations his daughter received improper preferential academic treatment, justice minister nominee Cho Kuk said he will "humbly accept" any criticism, but rejects claims of wrongdoing by his family. Nonetheless, the main opposition Liberty Korea Party(LKP) is moving to file a complaint with the prosecution regarding the scandal surrounding the nominee's daughter.
Choi You Sun reports.

Report: The daughter of justice minister nominee Cho Kuk was found to have been registered as a primary writer of a published pathology paper after interning for just two weeks at Dankook University's medical science institute while in high school.

There is mounting suspicion the academic article may have influenced her acceptance to Korea University in 2010, a prestigious university in Seoul.

Addressing the controversy on Wednesday, Cho said he will "humbly accept" all criticism directed at him and his family, but denied allegations that the pathology paper led to the improper university admittance of his daughter.

Dankook University has since apologized for its shortcomings in verifying the manuscript in question and the Korean Medical Association has referred the professor who led the research to its ethics committee to further probe the matter.

The main opposition Liberty Korea Party(LKP), which previously filed complaints with the prosecution against Cho and his family for alleged fraud and real estate law violations, plans to file a fresh complaint regarding Cho's daughter.

LKP Chairperson Hwang Kyo-ahn also called on President Moon Jae-in to withdraw his nomination of Cho and apologize to the public. The party plans to stage a rally on Saturday in central Seoul to denounce the nominee.

The ruling Democratic Party, meanwhile, continued to defend Cho as a well-qualified candidate and urged the opposition bloc to drop their political opposition and agree to an early confirmation hearing.

Reflecting Moon's firm support for Cho and commitment to reform, a senior presidential official said there is no change in their position that Cho is the most suitable candidate to lead the Justice Ministry.
Choi You Sun, KBS World Radio News.