"Request to Uncover Allegations Against Choo Mi-ae's Son in Military Service"... Civic Group Files Investigation Request to the Supreme Prosecutors' Office

[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] The civic group Action Alliance for Establishing the Rule of Law (Beopse-ryeon) has requested an investigation by the Supreme Prosecutors' Office into allegations of extended sick leave taken by the son of Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae.

On the 3rd, Beopse-ryeon held a press conference in front of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office to announce this plan. Beopse-ryeon stated, "Minister Choo's son, Mr. Seo, who was serving as a KATUSA soldier in June 2017, took a total of 23 consecutive days off, including sick leave and personal leave," and added, "During this period, a secretary of Minister Choo, who was then the leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, called Mr. Seo's unit personnel to inquire about extending the sick leave."

Beopse-ryeon believes it is impossible for the secretary to have called the unit to inquire about extending Mr. Seo's leave without Minister Choo's instructions, suggesting that such instructions must have been given. They stated, "If the secretary was made to perform duties without obligation, it constitutes abuse of authority, and therefore we are requesting an investigation into Minister Choo for violation of Article 123 of the Criminal Act concerning abuse of official authority and obstruction of rights."

They also claimed that if there are no records of Mr. Seo's 19-day sick leave, it clearly constitutes desertion. Beopse-ryeon emphasized, "If he were not the son of Minister Choo, he would have been immediately arrested and confined to a military prison for such a serious offense," and added, "If the leave was extended with just one phone call, it is a clear abuse of authority and desertion from military duty, and the unit personnel involved are accomplices."

The People Power Party also announced on the 2nd that they would file a complaint with the Supreme Prosecutors' Office against five individuals, including Mr. Seo, Minister Choo's secretary, and military personnel, on charges of violating the Military Criminal Act and other laws related to the allegations. This action followed the release of a recorded conversation in which a unit official stated that the secretary requested an extension of the sick leave on Mr. Seo's behalf.

Regarding this matter, Minister Choo has not issued an official statement, but Mr. Seo's legal representative rebutted through a statement the previous day, saying, "We have confirmed that there were no legal issues concerning the sick leave and personal leave," and added, "We hope the truth will be revealed through the prosecution's investigation."

In particular, concerning the controversy over the so-called "emperor leave," the lawyer stated, "Mr. Seo applied for sick leave after receiving a diagnosis at the Republic of Korea Army Yangju Hospital that surgery was necessary according to sick leave regulations, and he submitted all the required documents for the sick leave application," and added, "For the second sick leave, he also obtained and submitted all necessary documents from Samsung Seoul Hospital, so Mr. Seo fulfilled all his obligations related to the sick leave."

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