A disgraced former justice minister who became the leader of the third-largest political party said Sunday he proposed talks with President Yoon Suk Yeol. Cho Kuk, the leader of the new Rebuilding Korea Party, made the proposal in a Facebook posting, days after his party secured 12 proportional seats -- the third-largest political party in the 300-member parliament. "As the leader of the third-largest party, I hope to meet President Yoon Suk Yeol anytime, in any format," Cho said. Cho, a former prominent law professor at Seoul National University, had served as the senior presidential secretary for civil affairs from 2017 to 2019 under the preceding Moon Jae-in administration. As one of Moon's closest aides, Cho was subsequently appointed as justice minister in September 2019. However, he resigned in disgrace about a month later following an investigation into an academic fraud case involving his children, when Yoon was prosecutor-general. Cho was convicted of academic fraud in connection with his daught er's college admissions and unlawful interference with a separate government inspection. In February, an appeals court upheld a two-year prison sentence for Cho. A final guilty verdict could strip Cho of the parliamentary seat. Source: Yonhap News Agency