Political Earthquake: Cho Kuk's Fall from Grace

South Korea's top court upheld a two-year jail term for opposition lawmaker Cho Kuk for bribery and academic fraud, stripping him of his parliamentary seat. This deepens the country's political divide and may affect opposition efforts to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol.

South Korea's highest court has upheld a two-year prison sentence for Cho Kuk on Thursday, a former justice minister who now leads the minor opposition Rebuilding Korea Party. The court found Cho guilty of multiple charges, including bribery and academic fraud, which have strained the political landscape of South Korea and caused widespread disillusionment among young voters.

With his conviction, Cho has lost both his parliamentary seat and the right to run for public office for the next five years, a severe blow that threatens the opposition's attempts to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol over a martial law controversy. Although another party member will inherit Cho's seat in the 300-seat assembly, the opposition's strength is unquestionably weakened.

Cho's scandal and subsequent conviction have exacerbated South Korea's already polarized political climate, leaving many questioning the integrity of the former justice minister and delivering a significant setback to Moon Jae-in's Democratic Party. As political tensions escalate, the South Korean public watches closely as these events unfold.

(With inputs from agencies.)