Lee Jun-seok "Choo Mi-ae, Boldly Agreeing to a Special Prosecutor Is Also an Option"

Former Supreme Council Member of the People Power Party, Lee Jun-seok. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Joo-hee] Former Supreme Council Member of the People Power Party, Lee Jun-seok, stated on the 7th regarding the 'military leave privilege suspicion' involving Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae's son, "If you want this to be resolved politically, agreeing to a special prosecutor request with a broad perspective is also an option."

Lee, appearing on KBS Radio's 'Kim Kyung-rae's Strongest Current Affairs' that day, said, "This is a matter involving the minister's family, and there are ongoing discussions about the current prosecution's neutrality due to conflicts or personal relationships with Minister Choo," adding, "If the goal is not simply to be cleared of charges but to have a perfect political resolution, responding to the special prosecutor's request is also a method."

Regarding the suspicion that Minister Choo's aide made inquiry calls to the military unit about her son Mr. Seo's leave, he said, "The criticism is that it was not because he himself could not make the call, but that the aide acted backed by the so-called mother's authority," and added, "There is no explanation for why the aide made the call instead of him. Until an explanation is provided, it will be difficult for the public to accept."

He continued, "In the past, a certain presidential candidate was heavily criticized for asking their staff to book airplane tickets for their spouse," and said, "I believe this matter is more serious. Since the aide handled matters related to the son's military service, no public official in Korea is paid to do such things."

In response, Hyun Geun-taek, Vice Chairman of the Democratic Party's Legal Committee, who appeared together, said, "I think the investigation should be concluded quickly," but opposed the idea, saying, "Basically, a special prosecutor is not appropriate."

He argued, "In the past, special prosecutors were appointed for prosecutors' misconduct, like the 'Grandeur prosecutor' or 'Benz prosecutor' cases," and added, "If it were prosecutorial misconduct, aside from omissions in the preparation of statements, there is nothing substantial to warrant a special prosecutor."

In response, former Supreme Council Member Lee insisted again, "Since this case is related to Minister Choo, who is effectively commanding the prosecutors, neutrality issues naturally arise, and the fact that the investigation has been dragging on for eight months with the investigation team being completely replaced midway is evidence that the investigation is not proceeding properly," adding, "A special prosecutor can certainly be appointed."

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, checking documents with a serious expression. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

Earlier, Mr. Seo, Minister Choo's son, who was serving in KATUSA, took his first sick leave from June 5 to 14, 2017, and underwent surgery on his right knee at Samsung Seoul Hospital. Afterwards, he applied for a second sick leave of nine days starting June 23, but as he was not sufficiently recovered, he inquired about extending the sick leave with his superior, took four days of personal leave, and returned on the 27th.

During this process, suspicions arose that Minister Choo's aide made multiple calls to the military unit to extend Mr. Seo's sick leave, and that his sick leave records were not included in the military leave list, raising suspicions of preferential treatment.

In response, the opposition party, People Power Party, demanded the introduction of a special prosecutor to investigate the truth behind Mr. Seo's 'military leave privilege' suspicion in a statement on the 6th.

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