KOREA WHO
-
-
-
Former Leader of the Rebuilding Korea Party
Cho Kuk
Yoon Probe Shattered Family, Election Loss Tests Future
-
Last Updated on Jun 19, 2026
-
Former Leader of the Rebuilding Korea Party
Life Summary
Cho Kuk is the former leader of the Rebuilding Korea Party.
After losing a by-election for the National Assembly seat in Pyeongtaek-eul, Gyeonggi Province, he stepped down as party leader and has been taking time for reflection. Positioning himself as an “icebreaker” for reform within the democratic and progressive camp, he has sought to strengthen his standing as a potential future presidential candidate.
He was born in Busan on April 6, 1965.
He graduated from the College of Law at Seoul National University. He earned both a master's degree and a doctorate in law from Seoul National University.
He graduated from the UC Berkeley School of Law in the United States. His field of specialization is criminal procedure law.
He served six months in prison for helping the Socialist Workers League, and Amnesty International designated him a prisoner of conscience shortly after his imprisonment.
He worked as a professor at Seoul National University School of Law, a member of the Innovation Committee of the Democratic Party of Korea, and a commissioner of the National Human Rights Commission of Korea.
Following the launch of the Moon Jae-in administration, he was appointed Senior Presidential Secretary for Civil Affairs at the Blue House, where he was responsible for personnel verification, establishing discipline among public officials, and reforming state power institutions.
After being appointed Minister of Justice, he resigned from the position just over a month later. During this process, he endured the hardship of seeing his family torn apart by investigations conducted by the prosecution under Yoon Suk-yeol.
He founded the Rebuilding Korea Party and served as its leader. In the 22nd National Assembly election, he was elected as a proportional representation lawmaker representing the party.
He was sentenced to two years in prison over allegations related to his children's college admissions and served eight months before being granted a special pardon by President Lee Jae-myung. He returned as chairman of the party's emergency leadership committee and worked to stabilize the party following a sexual misconduct scandal.
In the National Assembly by-election held alongside the June 3, 2026 local elections, he ran in Pyeongtaek-eul, Gyeonggi Province, but finished third and was defeated. He subsequently resigned as party leader.
#ChoKuk #RebuildingKoreaParty #SouthKoreanPolitics #DemocraticProgressiveCamp #MoonJaein #JusticeMinister #NationalAssembly #PresidentialCandidate #PoliticalReform #LeeJaeMyung
After losing a by-election for the National Assembly seat in Pyeongtaek-eul, Gyeonggi Province, he stepped down as party leader and has been taking time for reflection. Positioning himself as an “icebreaker” for reform within the democratic and progressive camp, he has sought to strengthen his standing as a potential future presidential candidate.
He was born in Busan on April 6, 1965.
He graduated from the College of Law at Seoul National University. He earned both a master's degree and a doctorate in law from Seoul National University.
He graduated from the UC Berkeley School of Law in the United States. His field of specialization is criminal procedure law.
He served six months in prison for helping the Socialist Workers League, and Amnesty International designated him a prisoner of conscience shortly after his imprisonment.
He worked as a professor at Seoul National University School of Law, a member of the Innovation Committee of the Democratic Party of Korea, and a commissioner of the National Human Rights Commission of Korea.
Following the launch of the Moon Jae-in administration, he was appointed Senior Presidential Secretary for Civil Affairs at the Blue House, where he was responsible for personnel verification, establishing discipline among public officials, and reforming state power institutions.
After being appointed Minister of Justice, he resigned from the position just over a month later. During this process, he endured the hardship of seeing his family torn apart by investigations conducted by the prosecution under Yoon Suk-yeol.
He founded the Rebuilding Korea Party and served as its leader. In the 22nd National Assembly election, he was elected as a proportional representation lawmaker representing the party.
He was sentenced to two years in prison over allegations related to his children's college admissions and served eight months before being granted a special pardon by President Lee Jae-myung. He returned as chairman of the party's emergency leadership committee and worked to stabilize the party following a sexual misconduct scandal.
In the National Assembly by-election held alongside the June 3, 2026 local elections, he ran in Pyeongtaek-eul, Gyeonggi Province, but finished third and was defeated. He subsequently resigned as party leader.
#ChoKuk #RebuildingKoreaParty #SouthKoreanPolitics #DemocraticProgressiveCamp #MoonJaein #JusticeMinister #NationalAssembly #PresidentialCandidate #PoliticalReform #LeeJaeMyung