[2] Cho previously served as a senior presidential aide for civil affairs under the cabinet of Moon Jae-in from May 2017 to July 2019.

He was subsequently appointed Minister of Justice, a position he held from September 2019 until his resignation on 14 October 2019 due to his involvement in a series of controversies, including allegations of corruption surrounding his family's business activities.

Cho was detained due to his activities, under breach of the National Security Act, and declared a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International.

He was a member of the People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy,[5][10] Committee of Determination of Punishment in Supreme Court,[14][5] National Human Rights Commission,[5][10] and the other various organisations.

[25] Cho subsequently resigned on 14 October, just 35 days after taking office due to a prosecution probe into various allegations surrounding his family.

[1][8][34] In July 2013, Song Pyung-in of The Dong-A Ilbo and a conservative commentator Byun Hee-jae had mentioned that Cho plagiarized several theses written by Japanese scholars during his studies at Seoul National University in 1989.

[43] CO-LINK invested in a Korean company that is contracted in a multi-billion dollar computer network project in South Korea.

Kim Gyung-yul and his team of accountants and economic analysts of People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy came to a conclusion that this is a crime involving political power.

[50] On 31 December 2019, Cho was indicted on 12 charges over his role in his children's college admissions, including for bribery and corruption, but was not detained.

In February 2023, Cho was sentenced to two years prison for falsely submitting documents attesting that his son had completed an internship and forging his daughter's academic credentials.

[51] On 12 December 2024, Cho's conviction was upheld by the Supreme Court of Korea, paving the way for his losing his seat in the National Assembly and his eligibility to run in presidential elections until 2029.

[54] On 10 September 2019, shortly after Cho Kuk's nomination hearing, his wife, Chung Kyung-sim, was officially indicted for forgery of a document by the prosecutor's office.

When asked what should happen should his wife face charges, Cho replied that she should be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.

[55] On 24 October[56] Chung Kyung-sim was charged on 15 counts, including obstruction of business, insider trading, embezzlement, and withholding evidence.

On 23 December 2020, she was found guilty on 11 charges, and sentenced to four years in prison and a total of ₩638 million (equivalent to around $500,000 US) in fines and "unlawful gains".