Candidate Seo Wook: "Strict action according to regulations on Minister Chu's son allegations"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] Seo Wook, the nominee for Minister of National Defense, stated regarding the allegations of preferential treatment in military service for the son of Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae, "If the facts are confirmed later, we will examine whether there was any violation of regulations."

In a written response submitted on the 14th to the National Defense Committee of the National Assembly, Seo answered the question, "Do you think disciplinary action should be taken if preferential treatment was obtained through irregular means?" by saying this, and added, "There should be no unfair discrimination or preferential treatment, and any related corruption must be strictly dealt with according to laws and regulations."

He also acknowledged that there were cases like that of Minister Choo’s son, Seo Mo (27), where a 'leave order' was approved belatedly after the leave had already been taken. He explained, "Approval of leave requires a comprehensive judgment based on the situation, content, and facts at the time for each case. Upon review, there was a case in 2017 where a personal leave was taken and the leave order was issued late."

Regarding the question, "If a parent or soldier applies for a leave extension due to unavoidable reasons via a landline phone, and if leave extension is possible, can all soldiers get leave extension approval through the same procedure?" he replied, "Leave extension via landline phone is possible only after approval by the authorized approver according to relevant regulations." He added, "The leave approver makes a decision based on comprehensive judgment," and said, "I will pay attention to ensure that there are no issues with fairness."

When asked to clarify the facts related to Seo’s sick leave, Seo Wook said, "Currently, we do not have Seo’s leave order and supporting documents," and added, "We are assuming the possibility of some administrative procedural errors, and the exact facts will be revealed through the prosecution’s investigation." Regarding the preservation of Seo’s medical records, leave application records, and leave approval records, as well as allegations that Minister Choo and her spouse filed a leave extension request at the Ministry of National Defense’s civil affairs office, he responded, "Since the prosecution’s investigation is ongoing, the response is limited."

In particular, Seo Wook expressed his view on the military service benefits issue concerning the group BTS (Bangtan Sonyeondan), stating, "The military service special exemption system for outstanding popular culture artists requires prior national consensus and sufficient discussion beforehand." The military service issue of BTS has regained attention as some members born in 1992 are approaching their enlistment time, and recently the group made history as the first Korean singers to top the US Billboard main singles chart.

The members have consistently stated that "military service is a natural duty," but as their contribution to national popular arts has increased, there have been continuous claims that they should receive benefits related to military service. In this regard, although it is not an immediate exemption or special case, a bill focusing on opening the way for popular artists to postpone enlistment was recently proposed in the National Assembly.

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