The nominee for South Korea’s new justice minister endured an 11-hour grilling at the hands of the media that went on into the early hours of Tuesday and focused on accusations of ethical impropriety by his family.

Facing a barrage of reporters and cameras at the National Assembly from mid-afternoon on Monday, Cho Kuk repeatedly denied allegations that his daughter had been given preferential treatment in obtaining a place at a top university.

Mr Cho’s daughter was listed as the primary author of a highly technical pathology thesis after she spent a two-week placement at a leading medical university while still a high school student.

The thesis was later submitted as part of her application to another top-ranked medical university.

Mr Cho was also quizzed about multiple scholarships that his daughter received while studying at three universities over a period of five years, despite receiving poor grades.

Mr Cho said he “did not know the detailed process” of his daughter’s thesis and denied he had been in contact with the university to request that his daughter receive preferrential treatment.

Mr Cho also claimed that he “did not know” how a private equity fund worked after it was reported that his family had jointly invested more than £5.1 million in a fund. The family has a total declared wealth of £3.78 million, The Korea Herald reported.