Ha Tae-kyung: "Park Ji-won Uses Military Barracks Like School Dormitory... Military Service Should Be Canceled"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] Ha Tae-kyung, a member of the Future United Party and the opposition whip of the National Assembly Intelligence Committee, raised suspicions of "emperor service" regarding Park Ji-won, the nominee for the National Intelligence Service (NIS) director, claiming that he "used military barracks as a dormitory to obtain his degree."

On the 20th, Rep. Ha said on Facebook, "It is an illegal privilege that the nominee Park obtained his degree through commuting while serving as an enlisted soldier."

He pointed out, "There is no regulation in the Military Service Regulations (March 15, 1996) that allows enlisted soldiers to freely go out for obtaining a degree during military service," and added, "Moreover, if he commuted for one and a half years, it would have required illegal leave almost every day during the semester."

Rep. Ha said, "The unit commander who allowed unauthorized leave without grounds at that time should also be punished, and Park's military service record should be canceled," and "there is no record or evidence in the military service record submitted by Park indicating that he went out almost daily to commute to school, except for two regular leaves."

He criticized, "Even now, illegal leave results in being referred to a disciplinary committee and punished depending on the severity of the case," and "In 1966, when military discipline was even stricter, Park used the military barracks as a school dormitory for one and a half years to obtain his degree. His military service, which was full of privileges and special treatment, should be canceled, and he must apologize to the public and the youth."

Meanwhile, on the same day, the National Assembly Intelligence Committee held a plenary meeting and confirmed the date of the NIS director confirmation hearing as the 27th. Kim Byung-gi, the ruling party whip of the Intelligence Committee from the Democratic Party of Korea, stated, "Although the witnesses were not agreed upon today, the hearing date has been set for the 27th."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.