Amid Growing Allegations of Son's Involvement... Unstoppable Chu Mi-ae Remains Silent for 9 Days

‘Additional Allegations Raised Over External Pressure in Winter Olympics Interpreter Selection’
Legal Experts Divided on Possibility of Abuse of Power Charges
Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Office Hesitates in 8-Month Investigation... Opposition Calls for Special Prosecutor Introduction

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

[Asia Economy Reporters Choi Seok-jin and Bae Kyung-hwan] Allegations surrounding Chu Mi-ae, Minister of Justice, and her son Seo Mo (27) have heated up political circles, but Minister Chu has remained silent without making any special statements as of the 7th.

Voices are growing louder calling for Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol to appoint a special prosecutor or introduce a special investigation, citing the inability to expect a fair investigation from the prosecution.

Meanwhile, additional allegations have been raised that in 2017, when Seo served as a KATUSA soldier, there was external pressure from the Ministry of National Defense’s minister’s office and others to select Seo as an interpreter for the Pyeongchang Olympics.

Additional Allegations of External Pressure in Selecting Chu Mi-ae’s Son as Interpreter

Some media outlets released a recording between Shin Won-sik, a member of the People Power Party, and retired Colonel A, who was the highest-ranking officer in the unit where Seo served, revealing that in November 2017, the KATUSA unit recruited interpreters to be sent to the Winter Olympics held in Pyeongchang the following year, and that the then Minister of National Defense Song Young-moo’s office and the National Assembly liaison group pressured to select Seo as an interpreter.

According to the report, Colonel A claimed that he anticipated problems and changed the interpreter selection method to a lottery, resulting in Seo not being selected.

On the same day, Seo’s legal team actively refuted media reports alleging that Minister Chu’s aides made requests regarding Seo’s unit assignment or job placement, stating in a separate statement, “The unit assignment and job placement of KATUSA soldiers are determined by a computer random number draw in the presence of family members during the discharge ceremony.”

They also disclosed three types of medical records related to Seo’s knee surgery, including surgical records and diagnosis certificates issued by Samsung Seoul Hospital, as evidence supporting his sick leave.

As the prosecution’s investigation into the ‘failure to return from leave’ allegation shows no progress, additional allegations have been raised, and a petition urging a prompt investigation by the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors’ Office has been submitted to the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office.

Opinions Divided on Possibility of Abuse of Power by Minister Chu

In the legal community, opinions are divided on whether the currently raised allegations, if proven true, could constitute the crime of abuse of authority or obstruction of the exercise of rights by Minister Chu or her aides.

Some argue that even if an aide called the unit official where Seo served to request an extension of leave, since neither Minister Chu nor her aides had the authority over the extension of a soldier’s leave at the time, there was no authority to abuse, making criminal punishment difficult.

On the other hand, if Minister Chu instructed her aide to do so, it could be seen as Minister Chu, who had general authority over the aide’s work, ordering the aide to perform a private task that was not their duty, potentially constituting abuse of authority.

Yoo Sang-beom, a People Power Party lawmaker and former prosecutor general, said, “Minister Chu, as a member of the National Assembly, ordering her aide to check if her son’s sick leave was possible is itself a private task, an obligation-free act,” adding, “In past cases such as the blacklist incident and judicial manipulation cases, abuse of authority charges were applied and prosecutions were made for public officials or judicial researchers receiving private orders.”

Eight-Month Stalled Investigation at Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors’ Office... Possibility of Special or Special Prosecutor Appointment?

The prosecution’s investigation into Seo’s ‘failure to return from leave’ allegation has been stalled for eight months. Accordingly, the opposition party is advocating for the appointment of a special prosecutor or special investigation.

However, the appointment of a special investigator requires either a resolution by the National Assembly plenary session or a determination by the Minister of Justice that it is necessary, making its feasibility low given the current National Assembly where the ruling party holds a majority.

On the other hand, the opposition party holds that appointing a special prosecutor to investigate criminal allegations against prosecutors is possible.

Lawmaker Yoo said, “The fact that a prosecutor at the Eastern District Prosecutors’ Office deliberately omitted important testimony from a captain or lieutenant colonel who said they received a call from (Minister Chu’s) aide can be seen as typical dereliction of duty,” adding, “Since prosecutors and investigators are legally required to faithfully record testimony, if they intentionally omitted it, dereliction of duty charges could apply, making the appointment of a special prosecutor for this case possible.”

The opposition’s call for a special or special prosecutor is based on distrust of the current investigation team.

The investigator and chief prosecutor suspected of omitting testimony related to the aide have been promoted to the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office and Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, respectively, but Kim Gwan-jung, chief prosecutor of the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors’ Office, has requested their return to the investigation team.

Kim, who opposed Prosecutor General Yoon’s stance and supported Minister Chu and Lee Sung-yoon, chief prosecutor of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, during the ‘media collusion’ case when he was head of the criminal division at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office, is seen by insiders as unlikely to conduct a rigorous investigation.

Minister Chu’s Prolonged Silence

Minister Chu, who usually speaks out boldly on various issues such as real estate, has maintained silence regarding allegations involving her son.

Her Facebook page has been inactive for nine days since posting a message of thanks to former Democratic Party leader Lee Hae-chan, who stepped down on the 29th of last month.

On July 27, during a National Assembly session, when People Power Party lawmaker Yoon Han-hong asked Deputy Minister of Justice Ko Ki-young about the controversy over Minister Chu’s son’s military leave, Minister Chu sparked controversy by saying, “You’re writing fiction.”

Also, earlier this month at the Budget and Accounts Special Committee, when asked about the authenticity of the aide’s phone call, she stated, “That did not happen,” and “I did not instruct the aide to make such a call,” but the release of related recordings has been analyzed as putting Minister Chu in a difficult position.

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