[Summary] "Emperor's Vacation Scandal" vs "Only Suspicion" Ruling and Opposition Parties, Heated Dispute Over Chu Mi-ae

Former Democratic Party lawmaker Hong Ik-pyo. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy reporters Seung-gon Han and Joo-hee Kang] Hong Ik-pyo, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, pointed out on the 3rd regarding the allegations of preferential treatment in military service for the son of Minister of Justice Chu Mi-ae, saying, "The suspicions are not raised based on accurate facts."

In an interview with KBS Radio's 'Kim Kyung-rae's Strongest Current Affairs' on the same day, Rep. Hong said, "Most of the issues raised by the opposition party or the media are nothing but assumptions, suspicions, and allegations."

Rep. Hong said, "They keep saying that (the number of leave days during Minister Chu's son's service) is high, but I hope they understand the overall number of leave days for KATUSA soldiers at that time and the general facts about the KATUSA unit," adding, "It is inappropriate to simply say that this is a lot without such fact-finding."

He continued, "It is a matter that can be resolved by checking whether the surgery records and sick leave periods match," and questioned, "Should many soldiers in the military have to stay without receiving treatment?"

Rep. Hong also criticized the recording released by Shin Won-sik, a member of the People Power Party, on the previous day (2nd), saying, "They did a title business. At first, it was said as if there was a recording of Minister Chu's aide directly talking to a military official, but it was actually Shin's aide who spoke with the military official."

He added, "The prosecution investigation is currently underway, and Minister Chu said she would take responsibility once the investigation results come out. There is no reason for political attacks."

Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae attended the plenary meeting of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee held at the National Assembly on the 25th of last month, reviewing documents with a serious expression. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

Earlier, Minister Chu's son, Mr. Seo, served in KATUSA for 21 months from November 2016 to August 2018 while Minister Chu was the leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, taking a total of 58 days of leave (28 days of annual leave, 11 days of special leave, and 19 days of sick leave).

KATUSA soldiers can use 28 days of annual leave, and special leave and sick leave are decided at the discretion of the commander. However, allegations of preferential treatment arose because Mr. Seo's sick leave records did not appear in the military leave roster data.

Rep. Shin increased pressure on the allegations by releasing a recording with a military personnel who claimed to have received a direct call from Minister Chu's aide at the time.

According to the recording, Captain A, an officer of the unit where Minister Chu's son Seo served, said in a call with Rep. Shin's aide, "At that time, a call came from Minister Chu's aide asking whether Private Seo's sick leave could be extended." He also said, "The role of an aide is to assist a member of the National Assembly, so I wondered why the aide had to do this."

Colonel B, who was the approving authority for Seo's leave at the time, also said in a call with Rep. Shin's aide, "I think the support officer received a call from the aide asking if the sick leave could be extended," and "I heard the support officer said no."

In response, Rep. Shin pointed out that the explanation by Minister Chu and the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Office that "the aide did not make the call" is likely a blatant lie to the public, calling it a case of "emperor leave manipulation" and "desertion" allegations.

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