Supreme Court Chief Justice Jo Hee-de returned every envelope of condolence money handed over by mourners after his father's funeral, it emerged belatedly.
According to the Supreme Court and other sources, Jo said he would decline outside condolence visits after his father, Jo Bu-hwan, died on the 30th of last month. He also arranged for no condolence payments to be collected within the judiciary, and urged the Supreme Court and the National Court Administration to "absolutely not come to pay respects."
But word of the death spread through Jo's younger brother's circle first, and in the process the chief justice's own bereavement also became known, according to sources. Once the obituary circulated, a stream of mourners from the legal and political communities followed.
A notice posted at the funeral hall said no condolence money would be accepted. Some mourners nonetheless left money in the collection box, sources said. A Supreme Court official said, "Chief Justice Jo returned all of it, envelopes and all, through his secretariat."
Meeting reporters on his way to work on the 3rd, Jo said he was "deeply grateful to everyone who offered condolences on my father's passing," adding, "We meant to hold it quietly as a family, but it suddenly became a commotion, and I feel apologetic to the public."
