The younger brother of justice minister nominee Cho Kuk has denied allegations that he faked his divorce to avoid having to pay back a large debt.

The brother issued a statement to this effect on Tuesday through Cho's confirmation hearing preparation team.

He also expressed plans to release all bond holdings owned by an academic institute his family runs in a bid to repay all his debt, and said he will also give up rights to the leftover bonds used after repaying the debt.  

Regarding allegations of a sham divorce, Cho's brother said he gotten married in 2005 when he was a credit delinquent and that relations with his wife continuously deteriorated due to business failures and that they eventually agreed to split up.

He said he was sorry for his own misjudgments that are now causing pain to the entire family. 

The brother added that he will take full responsibility and asked for the criticism directed against his family to stop.