Choo Mi-ae's Son Faces Vehicle Controversy... "Tax Evasion Trick" vs "No Illegal Loopholes"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] Allegations have been raised that Seo Mo, son of Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae, set the ownership ratio of a car purchased last year at 99 to 1 with his disabled father. In response, Seo's side immediately denied the claims, stating, "We have never used any loopholes or tricks."

According to the office of Kim Do-eup, a member of the People Power Party, Seo purchased a used 2017 car jointly with his father in September last year. In this process, the vehicle ownership was designated as 99% for Seo and 1% for his father, with the father's name listed as the primary owner. The vehicle registration record noted a special remark regarding the father as "mildly disabled, public bond exemption."

According to the Welfare of Disabled Persons Act, when a disabled person purchases a vehicle under 2000cc, they can receive benefits such as exemptions or reductions in individual consumption tax, acquisition and registration tax, automobile tax, public bonds, highway toll discounts, public parking fee discounts, and automobile inspection fee discounts. In this regard, Representative Kim stated, "The Welfare of Disabled Persons Act strictly addresses the exploitation of disabled persons for private gain," adding, "The family of Minister Choo is enjoying disabled benefits through loopholes, and tolerating this raises doubts about their qualifications as high-ranking public officials."

However, Seo's legal representative stated in a press release, "Seo's vehicle is a used car purchased around September 2019, and the disabled father's name was added to the registration to care for him." According to Article 26 of the Enforcement Rules of the Welfare of Disabled Persons Act (which allows a disabled person to register a vehicle under the name of their spouse, direct ascendants or descendants, spouses of direct descendants, or siblings who share the same address and residence), this is not a loophole or trick.

In particular, the representative said, "Seo's father had no vehicle or driver and was working as a lawyer in Jeongeup, Jeonbuk, but was in poor health at the time and needed assistance for mobility," adding, "Since it involved long-distance travel between Seoul and Jeongeup, two people, including an uncle, drove using the son's vehicle."

He continued, "Seo's father suffered a right lower limb disability due to an unexpected traffic accident during high school and cannot drive," emphasizing, "We are currently reviewing legal measures regarding the defamation and damage to character caused without understanding the pain of disability and the life of a socially vulnerable family."

Meanwhile, Seo's side also denied reports alleging that Minister Choo's daughter requested assistance in obtaining a French visa, stating, "Visa issuance cannot be arranged through requests." Additionally, regarding reports that A, a ministerial policy advisor who previously worked at the Ministry of National Defense during Minister Choo's tenure as Democratic Party leader and who is a former Democratic Party official, received a request-like contact from the party leader's office concerning Seo's son’s interpreter soldier position, A reportedly conveyed that he never spoke with the media outlet in question.

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