Ha Tae-kyung: "Choo Mi-ae's aide's phone testimony omitted by prosecution... Yoon Seok-yeol must immediately investigate"

"The key point of this investigation is to reveal whether there was external pressure during the special leave process"
Choo denies allegations of special military leave for his son, saying "There is no such fact"

Ha Tae-kyung, Member of the People Power Party / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] Ha Tae-kyung, a member of the People Power Party, urged, "Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol must immediately investigate whether he was involved in concealing the phone testimony of Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae's aide" regarding allegations of special leave privileges during the military service of Minister Choo's son.

On the 4th, Ha wrote on his Facebook, "The Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Office, which is investigating the special leave privilege allegations concerning Minister Choo's son, reportedly omitted the testimony that Minister Choo's aide made a phone call to the military unit in the investigation records," he stated.

He continued, "The core of this investigation is to reveal whether there was external pressure during the process of the son's special leave and who exerted such pressure," adding, "However, the most crucial testimony was missing from the records. This investigation has become pointless, like a steamed bun without filling."

He further asserted, "Prosecutor General Yoon must immediately investigate whether Minister Choo was involved in this concealment," and claimed, "Minister Choo, despite knowing about this concealment, shamelessly denied even the fact of the aide's phone call when appearing before the National Assembly."

Earlier, Minister Choo's son, Mr. Seo, served as a KATUSA soldier for 21 months from November 2016 to August 2018 while Minister Choo was the leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, during which he took 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 are entitled to 28 days of annual leave, while special leave and sick leave are determined at the discretion of the unit commander. However, suspicions arose that Mr. Seo received special treatment because his sick leave records were not present in the military leave roster.

On the 31st of last month, allegations surfaced that Minister Choo's aide called the unit where Mr. Seo served to request an extension of his leave.

Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae / Photo by Yonhap News

According to materials disclosed by Shin Won-sik, a member of the People Party (formerly the United Future Party), Mr. A, a unit official during Mr. Seo's active duty, appeared as a witness in the recent investigation into the leave non-return allegations and testified to the prosecution, "On June 21, 2017, during a unit solidarity event, a person identifying as 'aide to Representative Choo Mi-ae' called," and "The aide asked if it was possible to process sick leave so that Minister Choo's son's leave, which was about to end, could be extended to allow him to rest and recover at home rather than outpatient treatment or hospitalization."

In response to the aide's request, Mr. A replied, "According to regulations, resting at home is not allowed," then reported this to superior Mr. B, who instructed Mr. A to "process it as 'personal annual leave' since sick leave was difficult to approve."

Additionally, on the 2nd, Shin held a press conference and released an audio recording of Captain C, the support officer of the unit where Mr. Seo served. According to the file, Captain C said in a phone call with Shin's side on the 30th of last month, "I received a call from Representative Choo's aide inquiring about the extension of Private Seo's sick leave."

Regarding this, Shin criticized, "The explanations by Minister Choo and the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Office denying that the aide made the call are likely blatant lies to the public, trying to cover the sky with the palm of their hand," and pointed out, "Mr. Seo took 58 days of leave during his 21 months of military service, enjoying an unusually long 23-day leave benefit."

He added, "As someone who served in the military for 40 years, this is an unprecedented bizarre 'emperor's leave manipulation' and a 'desertion suspicion case.'"

On the afternoon of the 1st, during the plenary meeting held in the National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee meeting room, Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae is conversing with Board of Audit and Inspection Chairman Choi Jae-hyung and Court Administration Office Chief Cho Jae-yeon. / Photo by Yonhap News

The People Power Party announced that they will file a complaint with the Supreme Prosecutors' Office against five individuals, including Minister Choo's son Mr. Seo, Minister Choo's aide, and unit officials, on charges of violating the Military Criminal Act and other laws.

Meanwhile, Minister Choo dismissed the allegations of special leave privileges for her son on the 1st, stating, "There is no such fact."

At a plenary session of the National Assembly's Budget and Accounts Special Committee held that day, when Park Hyung-soo, a member of the People Power Party, questioned, "There are reports that a person identified as Minister Choo's aide requested Mr. Seo's leave extension by phone," Minister Choo responded, "(Regarding the allegations of special leave for my son) any comment could affect the investigation, and what the questioning lawmaker says could also influence the investigation atmosphere."

She added, "If investigated, the truth will be clearly revealed."

When Park asked, "Did you give such instructions through the aide at that time?" she retorted, "Would an aide receive instructions to handle such personal matters?"

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