Commander of Chua's Troop Support Unit: "Received Multiple Favor-Request Calls from Staff"

"Clarifying Position Due to Misunderstandings from Partial Reporting"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] Regarding the special treatment allegations during the military service of Mr. Seo, son of Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae, Mr. A, who was the commander of the Korean Support Group of the U.S. 8th Army in Korea at the time, revealed that he received reports from his staff about phone calls requesting favors related to Mr. Seo.

In a statement sent to the media on the 11th, Mr. A said, "As the final commander at the time, I felt uncomfortable remaining silent, but I only observed because I was concerned that active-duty subordinates might suffer disadvantages," adding, "I spoke with a secretary of Rep. Shin Won-sik of the People Power Party, but only part of the conversation was reported, which could lead to misunderstandings, so I am clarifying my position."

Mr. A explained, "When the Ministry of National Defense issued an official document about selecting interpreters to support the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, I received multiple phone calls from staff regarding Mr. Seo, and I was also informed that similar calls were made to the 2nd Division regional units. I instructed my subordinates to make them aware that this could cause major problems later and to select interpreters by lottery for each regional unit. Afterwards, I went to the 2nd Division regional unit, gathered the applicants including Mr. Seo, and selected them by drawing lots."

Regarding unit assignments, Mr. A stated that he received a report from one of the staff members that "someone inquired about Mr. Seo’s assignment to Yongsan while he was undergoing training at the recruit training center. I explained that it was not possible and provided an explanation about unit classification."

However, he denied media reports that during the recruit training graduation ceremony, he met separately with Mr. Seo’s family to instruct them not to make any requests. Mr. A said, "Being aware of reports related to requests, I emphasized during the unit commander’s greeting and unit introduction that making requests was prohibited and asked everyone to refrain from doing so. This was not only directed at Mr. Seo’s family, and I did not meet with the family separately."

Regarding claims that he was a "close aide" or "unofficial advisor" to Rep. Shin, Mr. A stated, "I worked together with the 3rd Division commander and chief of staff from late January to late April 2011 for about three months. Among the hundreds of people I worked with during my 34 years in the military, he is one of them," adding, "This is the first time in nearly nine years that we have spoken due to this incident."

Mr. A said, "I hope this incident will no longer become a political fight and will serve as an opportunity to change the culture of requests within the military," and added, "I pray that this case will be resolved justly and fairly."

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