Choe Kang-wook

Choe Kang-wook (Korean: 최강욱, born 24 March 1968) is a South Korean lawyer and politician who has been the President of the Open Democratic Party (ODP) since 2020. He served as the Secretary to the President for Public Office Discipline from September 2018 to March 2020. In 2020 election, he was elected the Member of the National Assembly.

In this Korean name, the family name is Choe.
Choe Kang-wook
최강욱
President of the Open Democratic Party
Assumed office
12 May 2020
Acting: 19 April 2020 - 12 May 2020
Preceded byLee Keun-shik
Member of the National Assembly
Assumed office
30 May 2020
ConstituencyProportional
Secretary to the President for Public Office Discipline
In office
7 September 2018 – 16 March 2020
PresidentMoon Jae-in
Preceded byKim Jong-ho
Succeeded byLee Nam-koo
Personal details
Born (1968-03-24) 24 March 1968
Namwon, North Jeolla, South Korea
CitizenshipSouth Korean
Political partyOpen Democratic
Children4
RelativesChoi Myung-hee (aunt)
Chung Nam-ki (relative)
Alma materSeoul National University
OccupationLawyer, politician

Career

Military judicial officer

He was qualified for the bar for military judicial officer in 1994.[1][2][3][4] Prior to be transferred to major in 2005, he was the Staff Judge Advocate (SJA) of the 3rd Cops, Chief Prosecutor of the Prosecutors Office Ministry of National Defence and the Deputy Chief of the High Public Prosecutor's Office.[1][2][3][4]

He took a prominent role in 2004 when he led an investigation against corruption scandals within the military.[2][3][4] In January, he arrested and charged the then Deputy Commander of R.O.K.-U.S. Combined Forces Command Shin Il-soon for being alleged to embezzle the troop budget and public funds.[2][3][4] The investigation was also brought to a bribery occurred at a promotion to general, in which led the then Chief of Army Staff Nam Jae-jun to resign in November.[2][3][4] His resignation was, however, rejected by the then President Roh Moo-hyun.[5]

Lawyer

After being discharged in 2005, Choe worked as a lawyer, mainly focusing human rights issues within the military.[1][2][3] He was an ombudsman at the Defence Acquisition Program Administration, an expert member in human rights education at the National Human Rights Commission and a member of the Special Committee on Ethics of the National Assembly.[1][3] In 2008, he filed a constitutional appeal for an issue of "seditious books" by the Ministry of National Defence.[6]

He used to be a member of the Lawyers for a Democratic Society following the recommendation of Lee Jung-hee.[4] He was also in charge for a trial related to civilian inspection of Lee Myung-bak's government.[2]

Foundation for Broadcast Culture

Choe became a member of board of directors (BoD) of the Foundation for Broadcast Culture from August 2012 to 2018.[1][2][3][4] In 2012, he and other 2 BoD members — Seon Dong-kyu and Kwon Mi-hyuk, criticised that the dismissal proposal against the CEO of MBC, Kim Jae-chul, was failed due to governmental pressure.[7]

Secretary to the President for Public Office Discipline

On 5 September 2018, Choe was appointed the Secretary to the President for Public Office Discipline, replacing Kim Jong-ho who was moved to the Secretary-General of the Board of Audit and Inspection.[1][2][3][4]

Politics

He resigned on 16 March 2020. However, sources reported that he would run for the upcoming general election as a proportional representation as the date was the deadline for any civil servants to resign in order to run for the election.[8][9] At the beginning he denied it,[10] but 2 days later he was reported he had already registered as a pre-candidate of the Open Democratic Party (ODP).[11] He was selected 2nd in the ODP list[12] and was elected.[13]

On 19 April, Choe was appointed the interim President of the ODP following the resignation of the incumbent Lee Keun-shik due to the poor performance in the election.[14] Being the sole candidate running for the party's presidency,[15] he was elected the ODP President on 12 May with the support of 99.6%.[16]

Controversies

Cho Kuk scandal

The Supreme Prosecutors' Office claimed that Choe helped to write a fake internship report for the former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk's son, Cho Won.[17] Choe denied it, explaining that the ex-Justice Minister's son had really completed his internship course and therefore the report is definitely a real one.[18] He also added that the prosecution threatened him to attend, otherwise they would reveal his real name in public.[18] However, Kyunghyang Shinmun reported that while he was a lawyer, he once pled Chung Kyung-shim during a case of property succession.[19] Before that, according to JoongAng Ilbo, he was in charge of personnel verification of Cho Kuk during the time of his appointment.[20]

On 7 January 2020, the Liberty Korea Party (LKP; now the United Future Party aka UFP) filed a lawsuit against Choe for obstruction and breaching the Anti-graft Law.[21] 16 days later, he was charged by the prosecution.[22] On 22 April, he was again sued by a civic organisation for bribery.[23]

On 28 January 2021, Choe was sentenced to 8 months in jail with a stay of execution for 2 years by the Seoul Central District Court.[24][25]

Channel A broadcaster

On 3 April 2020, Choe revealed a recorded transcript of Lee Dong-jae, a broadcaster of Channel A, on his Facebook.[26][27]

Dear Mr. Lee, it's ok if it's not true.
Just tell people you gave money to Rhyu Si-min if you wanna survive. That's all...[26][27]

On 10 April, the full recorded transcript was revealed.[28] Nevertheless, 3 days later, Lee Bo-kyung, a worker of MBC, posted on her Facebook that the transcript disclosed by Choe was not true.[29][30]

Personal life

Choe was born in Namwon, North Jeolla[1] in 1968[4] but was grown in Boseong and Yeosu in South Jeolla.[3] He attended Jeolla High School in Jeonju and studied law at Seoul National University.[1][2][3][4] His aunt, Choi Myung-hee, is a novelist known for Honbul.[1][3] He is also a nephew-in-law to Chung Nam-ki, the former CEO of the Korea Press Foundation.[3] His father is still living in Namwon.[4]

Election results

General elections
YearConstituencyPolitical partyVotes (%)Remarks
2020PR (2nd)Open Democratic1,512,763 (5.42%)Elected

References
  1. "최강욱 신임 청와대 공직기강비서관이 군검찰에 '레전드'로 남은 이유". 6 September 2018. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  2. "[프로필] 최강욱 청와대 민정수석실 공직기강비서관". 5 September 2018. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  3. "최강욱 변호사, 청와대 공직기강비서관에 발탁". 5 September 2018. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  4. "최강욱 변호사, 공직기강비서관 내정". 15 November 2018. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  5. "남재준 육군참모총장 진급비리 관련 사의표명, 대통령 반려[금기종]". 25 November 2004. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  6. "'국방부 불온서적' 헌법소원 제기한 변호사 최강욱". 1 December 2008. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  7. ""권력 외압으로 김재철 사장 해임안 부결"". 8 November 2012. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  8. "사퇴 기한 딱 맞춘 최강욱, 4·15 총선 출마하나". 16 March 2020. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
  9. "버티던 최강욱 靑비서관, 사의…비례대표 출마설(종합)". 16 March 2020. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  10. "최강욱 靑비서관, 주변에 "총선 비례대표 출마 안 한다"". 16 March 2020. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  11. "최강욱이 열린민주당 비례대표 공천을 신청했다". 18 March 2020. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  12. "열린민주당 비례 1번 김진애·2번 최강욱·4번김의겸…"공식 발표는 연기"". 24 March 2020. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  13. "당선 소감 밝히는 최강욱". 16 April 2020. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  14. "열린민주, 이근식·정봉주 사임…최강욱 비대위 체제". 19 April 2020. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  15. "열린민주당 대표 후보, 최강욱 당선인 '단독' 출마". 6 May 2020. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  16. "열린민주당 첫 당대표에 최강욱 당선자 선출". 12 May 2020. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  17. "檢 "조국 아들 허위 인턴확인서, 최강욱 靑비서관이 발급"". 31 December 2019. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  18. "[단독] 최강욱 '조국 아들 인턴 확인서는 진본' 반박…"검찰, 소환 불응땐 공소장에 실명 명시 협박"". 7 January 2020. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  19. "[단독]조국 아들 '가짜 인턴' 발급 최강욱, 과거 정경심 변호했다". 3 January 2020. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  20. "이번엔 검증 품앗이? 허위확인서 발급한 최강욱이 조국 검증". 1 January 2020. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  21. "한국당 "최강욱, 조국 아들 인턴증명서 허위 발급으로 고발"". 7 January 2020. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  22. "'조국 아들 허위 인턴 의혹' 최강욱 기소…윤석열 직접 지시". 23 January 2020. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  23. "'조국 아들 허위 인턴증명서' 최강욱, 뇌물공여 혐의로 또 고발당해". 22 April 2020. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  24. "'조국 아들 허위 인턴확인서' 최강욱 1심 유죄…의원직 상실형". 28 January 2021. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  25. "'조국아들 인턴확인서 허위발급' 최강욱 의원직 상실형(종합)". 28 January 2021. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  26. "Choe Kang-wook on Facebook". 3 April 2020. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  27. "최강욱, 채널A 기자 "사실 아니라도 좋다" 발언 공개". 3 April 2020. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  28. ""컨트롤 해줄거죠?" "자리 깔수있죠" 채널A 기자·제보자X 녹취록[전문]". 10 April 2020. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  29. "Lee Bo-kyung on Facebook". 13 April 2020. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  30. "MBC간부 "최강욱이 올린 채널 A 녹취록 요지 거짓"". 15 April 2020. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
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