Shin Won-sik: "'Accuser of Choo's Son Favoritism' Is My Closest Aide? ... Clear Falsehood"

"The Essence Lies in Fact-Finding of Abnormal Leave and Interpreter Soldier Solicitation"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] On the 10th, Shin Won-sik, a member of the People Power Party, clarified his relationship with Mr. A, the former commander of the U.S. Forces Korea Korea Support Group, who exposed allegations of solicitation involving the son of Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae. Shin stated, "The only connection was working together from January to the end of April 2011 when I served as the division commander and chief of staff of the 3rd Infantry Division," adding, "Apart from this period, there has never been a single occasion where we worked in the same unit."

In a statement released that day, Representative Shin said, "I had no acquaintance with him before, nor have I contacted or met him since," and explained, "However, at the end of last August, during the process of receiving personal information from an aide who recorded phone calls with four unit officials including Mr. A, I confirmed their identities."

Shin also said, "The first time I called Mr. A to check on him was on September 4, two days after the transcript was made public on September 2, marking our first communication in nine years," and added, "At that time, I did not even know Mr. A's contact number and had to confirm it through an aide."

He emphasized, "Despite these facts, claims that Mr. A is my 'closest aide' or 'secret advisor' are clear falsehoods spread without basic military knowledge or efforts to verify the facts," and stated, "The core issue in the case involving Minister Choo's son is the investigation into allegations of abnormal long-term leave during military service due to external pressure and solicitation for an interpreter position."

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