Choo Mi-ae's Son, This Time Suspected of Requesting Military Unit Assignment Favoritism

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Bae Kyunghwan] New testimony has emerged claiming that a request was made to transfer the military unit where Choo Mi-ae’s son, Seo Mo, was serving from Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi Province, to Yongsan, Seoul. This is another allegation following the testimony that a request was made to select Seo as an interpreter soldier for the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.

According to a transcript released on the 7th by Shin Won-sik, a member of the People Power Party, Colonel A, who was then the commander of the Korean Augmentation to the United States Army (KATUSA) unit under the US 8th Army in Korea, testified, "I followed the regulations regarding the request to send him to Yongsan," and added, "I later blocked further requests to send him there."

In particular, Colonel A warned Seo’s parents directly not to make any requests related to Seo’s unit assignment. In a phone call with Shin’s office, Colonel A said, "I personally sat down with Seo’s father, Professor Seo, who is Choo Mi-ae’s husband, and Choo Mi-ae’s mother-in-law and spent 40 minutes instructing them not to make any requests."

Seo is a KATUSA veteran, and the commander of the Korean Augmentation to the United States Army unit, a position held by Colonel A, is a regimental-level officer responsible for the final management of KATUSA personnel. Colonel A also publicly revealed that he received a request to send Seo as an interpreter soldier for the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.

Meanwhile, the People Power Party urged an investigation through the appointment of a special prosecutor regarding the series of emerging allegations of requests. At a meeting that day, Floor Leader Joo Ho-young said, "According to the testimony of the unit commander and the colonel, from the time of unit assignment, there were continuous requests from the aides of former Defense Minister nominee Song Young-moo and the National Assembly liaison group to assign Seo to Yongsan and to send him as an interpreter soldier for the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics," and demanded, "Minister Choo Mi-ae should promptly appoint a special prosecutor to reach a conclusion."

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