Jin Joong-kwon Continues Fierce Attack on Minister Choo Mi-ae on Facebook... "Are You Stupid? What Kind of Manggu-like Talk Is This?"

by Choi Sukjin

Published 08 Sep.2020 03:23(KST)

Updated 08 Sep.2020 07:59(KST)

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Screenshots of posts related to Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae uploaded by Professor Jin Joong-kwon of Dongyang University on his Facebook on the 7th and 8th.

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seok-jin] Professor Jin Joong-kwon of Dongyang University is fiercely attacking Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae, who is under suspicion of her son’s ‘failure to return from leave,’ through his Facebook.

On the afternoon of the 7th, Professor Jin wrote on Facebook, “They said it was a ‘novel,’ but it has ultimately become a second Cho Kuk incident. It is both a comedy and a tragedy of this society that those who destroy the ‘justice’ of a society serve as the minister of the ‘Justice Department’ (Ministry of Justice). Minister Choo Mi-ae, you should step down now. Will you blame Yoon Seok-yeol again?”

He compared the ongoing new suspicions related to Minister Choo’s son’s military service to the case of former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk and said it is time for her to resign from her ministerial position.

Professor Jin attached an SBS news article titled <“Defense Minister’s Office and Military Command, Petition for Minister Choo’s Son”… Call Recording Released> to his post. The article contains a recorded phone conversation of a military official stating, “There were many petitions from the Ministry of National Defense Minister’s Office and the National Assembly Liaison Group requesting that Minister Choo’s son be selected as an interpreter.”

A screenshot of a post related to Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae, uploaded by Professor Jin Joong-kwon of Dongyang University on his Facebook on the 7th.

Around midnight on the same day, Professor Jin posted again about Minister Choo.

This time, he attached an article titled <“I Won’t Receive Reports”… Choo Mi-ae’s Direct Response to Resignation Demands over Son’s Suspicion>, which reported that Minister Choo expressed her position of not receiving investigation reports from the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors’ Office team investigating her son’s suspicions.

He wrote, “Is she stupid? She seems to think she is the Prosecutor General. Anyway, the Ministry of Justice Minister is regulated not to receive reports on individual cases.”

He added, “From the start, refusing to do something that is not even within her authority is some kind of nonsense. Anyway, this lack of common sense is her charm. Since she showed generosity, I will return the favor by giving up immunity from arrest, or something like that.”

According to the Prosecutors’ Office Act, the Minister of Justice is only allowed to direct and supervise the Prosecutor General regarding specific cases, so it is natural that the minister does not receive reports from the frontline investigation teams on ongoing investigations. However, Minister Choo’s public statement, as if taking special measures for a fair investigation, can be seen as a direct attack.

On the same day, the Ministry of Justice stated regarding the incident, “The Minister of Justice has repeatedly expressed through responses to the National Assembly that the prosecution should swiftly and thoroughly investigate the currently controversial case to clarify the facts. Also, the minister has not received any reports related to the case so far and will not receive any in the future.”

Two hours later, in the early morning of the 8th, Professor Jin posted again with an article related to Minister Choo, starting with “Round 4 is the daughter.”

The post included a TV Chosun article titled <[Exclusive] Former Aide of Choo Mi-ae “At Minister Choo’s Instruction, Petitioned the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Daughter’s French Visa”>.

The article revealed that a former aide of Minister Choo petitioned the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2017 to expedite the issuance of a French study visa for Minister Choo’s second daughter.

He criticized Minister Choo for mobilizing aides for private matters related to her children, saying, “Round 4 is the daughter. The authority of a public official is given to perform public affairs (res publica). That authority is not given to serve the convenience of one’s own daughter or son.”

He continued, “‘Public affairs’?that is exactly the meaning of the word ‘republic.’ Everyone knows Article 1, Paragraph 1 of the Constitution of the Republic of Korea, right? We all sang it together holding candles at Gwanghwamun. ‘The Republic of Korea is a democratic republic.’ How can someone who ignores the constitution and denies the republic be the Minister of Justice? Is this even a country?”