Ministry of National Defense: "Minister of Justice's Son's '19-Day Sick Leave' Was Conducted According to Regulations"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter]The Ministry of National Defense stated on the 14th that the allegation that Seo Mo (27), the son of Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae, used sick leave regardless of medical treatment is "in accordance with regulations and procedures."

Earlier, allegations were raised that Seo used 19 days of petition leave (sick leave) for the hospitalization period for surgery and 4 days to remove stitches from the surgical site.

Moon Hong-sik, deputy spokesperson of the Ministry of National Defense, said at a regular briefing that "since there are records related to Seo's sick leave, the 19-day sick leave appears to have followed procedures," adding, "In Seo's case, there are currently no documents related to medical treatment, so whether the sick leave approval was appropriate is something that needs to be confirmed through investigation."

Deputy Spokesperson Moon explained, "The original regulation requires submitting documents that can prove medical treatment after the petition leave ends, and periods unrelated to actual medical treatment should be handled as personal leave," adding, "In unavoidable cases and considering various factors, commanders can approve petition leave."

He also reiterated that the allegation that Seo extended sick leave without undergoing military hospital convalescence review is not a violation of regulations.

Deputy Spokesperson Moon said, "Active-duty soldiers who are hospitalized are subject to convalescence review," and "Since 2016, there has not been a single case of active-duty soldiers who were not hospitalized receiving military convalescence review." This explains that Seo did not need to undergo convalescence review for sick leave extension because he was not hospitalized.

Regarding the personnel order for Seo's personal leave (annual leave) used after two sick leaves being approved retroactively, he said, "According to interview records, the use of annual leave was approved before the sick leave ended, but the personnel order seems to have been delayed," adding, "The reason for the delay will have to be observed through the prosecution's investigation."

The Ministry of National Defense also denied some media reports that it had organized a position after party-government consultations stating "there is no problem with the handling of the Justice Minister's son's leave according to regulations."

Deputy Spokesperson Moon said, "At the regular meeting held annually in preparation for the regular National Assembly session, next year's budget and Daegu military airport were officially discussed as agenda items," adding, "At that time, the Ministry of National Defense explained the laws and regulations related to the Justice Minister's leave to the National Defense Standing Committee members."

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