If followed through, Cho’s appointment is likely to disappoint supporters of an administration elected into office on the promise of doing away with abuse and corruption in politics.

Yet, Moon’s controversial justice minister nominee seems to be enjoying wide intraparty support.

As the media reported on many allegations against Cho, liberal figures have rushed to his rescue in the past week, criticizing the “unfavorable coverage.”

On Sunday, Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon shared what he said was his own experience with the media during his candidacy.

“When I first ran for mayor in 2011, I had to deal with groundless accusations fabricated by the rival candidate,” Park wrote on his Facebook account, dismissing the suspicions against Cho as “fake news.”

“Anybody who does a little research would have known they were falsehoods. But the media reported the claims regardless. It is perhaps because the main opposition party and certain media outlets fear the judicial reforms nominee Cho Kuk would carry out once he assumes office,” Park said, hailing Cho as “someone our country needs.”

In comments released the same day, the main opposition Liberty Korea Party slammed Park’s statement as a “partisan argument that brands a majority of citizens who oppose Cho’s appointment as anti-reformist.”

The third-term mayor of the capital city is not completely uninvolved in the string of suspicions surrounding Cho, according to Rep. Kwak Sang-do of the Liberty Korea Party.

In 2013, Cho’s then-high schooler son was admitted to Seoul City’s youth council even though he was eliminated in the first round, the opposition lawmaker said.

Gyeonggi Gov. Lee Jae-myung, a onetime presidential hopeful, issued a more strongly worded statement saying “Stop the witch hunt.”

In a Facebook post published Friday, Lee said “the circumstances surrounding Cho have reached the apogee of irrationality.”

“If there is anything life has taught me, it is that you’ve got to listen to both sides before you make a judgment,” Lee said, calling the media reports “a lopsided attack.”

Rhyu Si-min, a “Roh Moo-hyun man” who chairs a foundation named after the late president, said that deeming Cho unqualified for the job based on suspicions was “anti-intellectualism” and “tyranny.”

Speaking at a concert Saturday, Rhyu, who was Roh’s health and welfare minister, said he knew “what nominee Cho is going through too well.”

“When they lashed out at me, they were attacking President Roh,” Rhyu said, suggesting that the controversy has more to do with opposition to the Moon administration than with the nominee himself.

Kim Boo-kyum, a ruling party lawmaker and former minister of interior and safety who stepped down from his ministerial post in April, said Thursday the Liberty Korea Party’s demand to have not only the candidate but his family questioned is intended to “apply psychological pressure to spur his resignation.”

Political commentator Rhee Jong-hoon told The Korea Herald presidential contenders are “jumping on the endorsement bandwagon to earn support of the Democratic Party base most of whom are ‘pro-Moon.’”

“You can’t be a Democratic presidential candidate without winning the support of the ‘pro-Moon’ base.”

“The ruling party will push ahead with the appointment (of Cho), citing the need for prosecutorial reforms,” Rhee explained. “There is also a calculated caution that if the nomination falls through, this administration could reach its lame-duck period faster.”

While political observers predict that the allegations and prosecution’s investigations are not likely to derail Cho’s appointment, public opinion does not appear to be on the ruling party’s side.

A Realmeter poll published Friday showed 54.3 percent of the respondents were against Cho’s appointment as justice minister, while 42.3 percent were in favor. Although those opposed to the appointment had dropped from the 54.5 percent Wednesday, polls show that more than half opposed Cho being justice minister. Moon’s approval rating also slipped to 45 percent in the Aug. 20-22 Gallup survey, down from 48 percent three weeks earlier.

“If Cheong Wa Dae fails to properly address ‘the Cho Kuk controversy,’ it would demonstrate that the ruling party is not much different from the previous administrations it criticized,” said Kim Jong-kyung, 27, who identified himself as a Moon supporter in both 2012 and 2017 presidential elections.

By Kim Arin (arin@heraldcorp.com)