Prosecutors Refute Legal Arguments by Hyunmoon Cho's Side in 'Attempted Coercion' Case: "Evidence Not Illegally Obtained"

Prosecutors Systematically Refute Key Issues Including Abuse of Prosecutorial Authority

During the trial of Hyunmoon Cho, former Vice President of Hyosung Heavy Industries, who has been indicted on charges of attempted coercion, prosecutors argued that the defendant’s legal claims—such as assertions regarding illegally obtained evidence—are inappropriate.

Hyunmoon Cho, former Vice President of Hyosung. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

On June 19, during a procedural update in the trial of former Vice President Cho, which was held at the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 25 Single (Presiding Judge Lee Seongyeol), prosecutors directly refuted the arguments raised by Cho’s defense, including abuse of prosecutorial authority, violation of the indictment specificity principle, statute of limitations expiration, and claims regarding illegally obtained evidence.

Regarding the assertions of prosecutorial abuse and violation of the indictment specificity principle, prosecutors dismissed them by stating, “The charges of attempted coercion and attempted blackmail in this case are in a substantive concurrent relationship, making separate indictments possible, and providing detailed explanations of motives and circumstances to specify the criminal facts does not constitute a violation.”

In response to the defendant’s claim that the statute of limitations had expired, prosecutors made it clear that the responsibility lies with Cho. They noted, “When the investigation was reinstated in 2018, all defense attorneys for the defendant resigned, and even the schedule for the defendant’s return to Korea could not be confirmed, making it inevitable to process his absence,” adding, “The prolonged suspension of indictment was a consequence brought about by Cho himself.”

Regarding the most contentious issue of illegally obtained evidence, prosecutors stated, “Given the objective and personal relevance to the alleged charges, the evidence can be admitted in court.”

In addition to these legal rebuttals, prosecutors emphasized that the essence of this case lies in “a premeditated pursuit of private gain through the acquisition of significant funds from the sale of a large equity stake.” According to prosecutors, Cho led the crime by recruiting lobbyist Park Suhwan to sell his unlisted shares and devising detailed strategies to subdue the victim.

Prosecutors argued, “All benefits from this crime were structured to accrue to former Vice President Cho, and the defendant committed acts of attempted coercion and blackmail against his own parents and siblings for personal gain,” stressing the need for strict punishment.

Hyunmoon Cho and Hyunjoon Cho, Chairman of Hyosung Group, have been engaged in what has been referred to as the “brotherly feud” over management control of Hyosung Group since 2014. In March 2017, Chairman Cho filed a complaint against former Vice President Cho, alleging that he threatened to submit evidence of various irregularities to prosecutors unless Hyosung affiliates purchased his shares at an inflated price. In November 2022, the prosecution indicted Cho on charges including attempted coercion. In the first hearing held in May 2023, Cho denied all charges.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.