Han Byung-do: "Reason for second child's military service exemption undisclosed, there is a painful story"

"Second son, currently 21 years old and autistic... Regret having to reveal personal matters due to article"
"At least confirm with the person involved before reporting," criticism arises

Han Byung-do, Member of the Democratic Party of Korea / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Ju-hyung] Han Byung-do, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, explained that the reason for his second son's military service exemption is unclear to some, saying, "There is a heartbreaking story."

On the 10th, a media outlet reported that among the 21st National Assembly members, 16 had sons who were exempted from military service, and among them, 14 were members of the Democratic Party. In particular, it was reported that five of these Democratic Party members, including one lawmaker, did not disclose the disease name that was the reason for the exemption.

Han said in a post on his Facebook on the same day regarding this report, "I felt heartbroken seeing my second son mentioned in the article," and added, "I regret having to reveal my personal story because of such an article."

He continued, "My second child is currently 21 years old and has severe autism," explaining, "His mental age remains at an infant level, and he cannot control his bladder or bowels."

He added, "When we go outside for a walk, my fully grown child urinates anywhere, so we have to avoid people and go to places without others," and "When he gets angry, he has no way to express it and sometimes hits himself severely. He cannot speak, babbles alone, fixates on small objects, and even at the supermarket, if he sees something he wants to eat, he tears it open and eats it right there."

Han said, "When he occasionally smiles or sleeps, he really looks like an angel and brings great happiness to me and my family," and "Because of my legislative activities, I stay alone in Seoul, but on weekdays, I think about my second son every day, sometimes smiling alone, and talk with my family to hear what my second child did today."

He added, "This is not a request to understand the feelings of parents with disabled children. How wonderful it would have been if he were healthy and could fulfill his military duty like me and my eldest son," and criticized, "The article gave the nuance that he was avoiding military service because the disease name was kept private. If you are going to investigate, shouldn't you at least confirm with the person involved?"

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