Disgraced ex-South Korean minister gets two years' jail over graft scandal

SEOUL-A disgraced former South Korean politician, Cho Kuk, was sentenced to two years in prison on Friday for forging documents to facilitate his children's school admissions in a scandal that has deepened political divides and frustrated many young voters.

A star law professor, Cho was a key aide to former president Moon Jae-in and briefly served as a justice minister before resigning and being indicted on a dozen charges, including bribery and document fraud, in late 2019.

The Seoul Central District Court convicted Cho of falsifying documents to send his son and daughter to prestigious high schools and universities, and peddling influence to interfere with a corruption investigation involving a confidant of Mr Moon.

Cho's downfall dealt a stinging blow to Mr Moon's progressive Democratic Party amid voter dis-illusionment over intensifying inequality and growing calls for fairness.