(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Seungyeon Lee = Hyosung Group Chairman Cho Hyun-joon said in court that he had been threatened by his younger brother, former Vice President Cho Hyun-moon, and that he wanted punishment for him.
Chairman Cho also said that his late father, former Honorary Chairman Cho Seok-rae, left a message during his lifetime that the only way to enlighten former Vice President Cho was to file a complaint.
Chairman Cho appeared as a witness at the trial of former Vice President Cho on charges of attempted coercion, held on the 21st by Judge Lee Seong-yeol of the Seoul Central District Court's Criminal Division 25.
This is the first court meeting between Chairman Cho and former Vice President Cho since the 'Hyosung Brothers Rebellion' triggered by a management dispute in 2014.
Former Vice President Cho is accused of threatening Chairman Cho by distributing a press release in 2013 claiming that he was the driving force behind the company's growth and demanding that he apologize for defaming his spouse.
The press release stated, 'Cho Hyun-moon contributed greatly to the development of the company and contributed to long-term growth by improving competitiveness in the heavy industry sector. It is said to have contained the words, ‘I am grateful for this and hope you receive blessings.’
Prosecutors believe that when rumors circulated that former Vice President Cho had an affair with his spouse, they suspected that Chairman Cho had spread the rumor, and later resigned from the company, causing conflict with his family.
Chairman Cho said that the contents of the press release that former Vice President Cho forced to distribute were different from the facts, and that "if it were not a coercive request, it is something we cannot issue on our own."
Regarding Jirashi, he said he was told by Park Soo-hwan, former CEO of News Communications, who responded to former Vice President Cho's press, that 'if you don't apologize, you will go to Seocho-dong.'
Chairman Cho claimed, “I could not help but sound like I was speaking in a threatening tone,” and “I have never made such a joke.”
Also, regarding the suspicion that former Vice President Cho threatened to sell his unlisted stocks at a high price, Chairman Cho testified that he told his parents, 'I will let you rot in prison for the rest of your life' and 'I regret being born from a mother who was like a poisonous snake.'
Chairman Cho said, “I was shocked” and “I think it was a clear threat.”
However, the charge of threatening former Vice President Cho to purchase unlisted stocks (attempted extortion) was not indicted in 2023. The prosecution ruled that Chairman Cho had exceeded the filing period because the charge of attempted extortion was a crime of pro-crime under the provisions of the Criminal Act on 'Relative Funeral Ceremony'.
On this day, Chairman Cho Hyun-joon said he wanted punishment for former Vice President Cho, saying, "I hope we can go our separate ways now," and added, "The reason this trial came about is because I don't want our family to be harassed anymore with accusations and accusations."
Regarding the background to filing charges against his younger brother, he also said that former Honorary Chairman Cho's wishes were reflected.
Chairman Cho said, “My father said that the only way to make Hyeon-moon wake up was to sue and accuse him. I sued and accused him with the feeling of vomiting blood.”
Former Vice President Cho's position is that it is only a warning that he will be punished for corruption and cannot be seen as a threat.
In the subsequent cross-examination, Chairman Cho responded to the lawyer's question about whether this was a prediction or warning of management corruption, saying, "How do you think people who were brothers will accept it when they say these things to their brother and father?"
The court decided to summon Chairman Cho again as a witness on the 28th.
