[Summary] "KATUSA Comfortable Military" Opposition Party's Fierce Attack on Woo Sang-ho's Remarks... "Beyond Sophistry, Insult," "Zero Empathy"

Kim Geun-sik "Comfort and breaking rules with special favors and solicitations have nothing to do with each other"
Ha Tae-kyung "Sophistry and lies, really too much"
Hwang Gyu-hwan "Woo Sang-ho, remarks that ignite the people's hearts"

Woo Sang-ho, Member of the Democratic Party of Korea. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suwan] Woo Sang-ho, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, sparked controversy by stating that "KATUSA itself is a comfortable military service, so the controversy is meaningless" regarding the military service controversy of Chu Mi-ae, Minister of Justice's son, Seo Mo (27). Opposition figures harshly criticized Woo's claim, calling it "an insult to the military and soldiers beyond sophistry" and saying "there is no empathy to be found."

On the 9th, in an interview with a media outlet, Woo made remarks implying that the special treatment allegations concerning Minister Chu's son Seo's military leave were meaningless because "KATUSA itself is a comfortable military service," which stirred controversy. Woo served as floor leader when Minister Chu was party leader and was a member of the National Defense Committee in the National Assembly.

Woo said, "KATUSA does not train like the Army. It is a comfortable position itself, so it is the same wherever you are," adding, "Whether you took leave in KATUSA or not, or whether you moved positions or not, is a meaningless matter."

Especially as a former Army sergeant, Woo claimed, "For example, in the Army, the labor intensity difference between someone standing guard at the front line and someone working at the Ministry of National Defense is 100 times. If the son of a powerful figure worked at the Ministry of National Defense while someone without connections served at the front, anger would flare up. But since KATUSA is entered through an exam and the working environment is similar wherever you serve, millions of veterans do not get angry."

Regarding some media reports that the issue of Minister Chu's son was discussed among defense committee members at the time, Woo said, "In 2017, during the height of the presidential election, I was right next to (Minister Chu) as floor leader, and there was no such talk at all," adding, "Once (Minister Chu's son) entered KATUSA, it would be a position without labor intensity, so there was nothing for Minister Chu to worry about."

Members of the People Power Party have continued to criticize Woo's remarks. Kim Geun-sik, head of the Songpa-byeong district of the People Power Party, posted on his Facebook page titled "Since KATUSA is originally a comfortable military service, at least follow the rules and keep your post properly," pointing out, "Being comfortable has nothing to do with breaking rules and being involved in special favors or requests."

Kim said, "Is it not controversial to use 'mom's chance,' make calls from the ruling party leader's office, and have the mother's aide make calls just because KATUSA is comfortable?" He added, "Since KATUSA is a comfortable military service, you must at least follow the established rules and keep your post at the right place and time properly."

Ha Tae-kyung, also from the same party, criticized on Facebook the same day, saying, "Woo's claim that the controversy is meaningless because KATUSA itself is a comfortable place is sophistry and an insult to the military and soldiers," adding, "Even if KATUSA has a better working environment than other units, it still has its own order and discipline."

Ha pointed out, "Where is a soldier in KATUSA who, like Minister Chu's son, takes leave at will without following the rules?" and "This incident became public because the special treatment given to Minister Chu's son far exceeded rules and common sense, arousing soldiers' indignation."

He added, "The Democratic Party should stop trying to cover lies with lies before it gets uglier and stop digging into the wounds of young people and making parents sigh with lies and sophistry."

Hwang Gyu-hwan, deputy spokesperson of the People Power Party, criticized in a statement that "Democratic Party members still do not recognize the essence of the increasingly serious allegations about Minister Chu's son and only make remarks that ignite public anger," saying, "There is absolutely no empathy to be found."

In particular, Hwang referred to Woo's remarks as "absurd," emphasizing, "As Woo said, the essence of this issue is whether there was special treatment. It is a matter of whether it is acceptable to violate fairness and trample justice just because one is the son of a powerful figure while fulfilling the national defense duty assigned to all Korean citizens."

A statement urging Woo Sang-ho, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, to apologize was posted on the DC Inside KATUSA Gallery. Photo by DC Inside KATUSA Gallery

Meanwhile, internet communities related to KATUSA have collectively expressed outrage and demanded an apology from Woo.

On the same day, a Facebook page named "KATUSA" posted a statement titled "Condemning Woo Sang-ho's outrageous remarks." The statement criticized, "Woo's remarks seriously damaged the honor of active-duty KATUSA soldiers who have answered the nation's call and reservists who live with pride as KATUSA in their respective livelihoods."

A statement was also posted on the online community DC Inside's "KATUSA Gallery." Members of the KATUSA Gallery emphasized, "KATUSA soldiers serving are also soldiers of the Republic of Korea Armed Forces and someone's precious sons. We strongly urge Woo to officially apologize for today's remarks."

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