Autumn's Son's Lawyer "Exempt from Military Service... Do You Know What a Duty Soldier Is?" vs. Kim Woong "Will Stand with the Weak"

Hyeon Geuntaek "Kim Ung, Military Exemption Due to Lobectomy"
Kim Ung "Power That Attacks and Intimidates Whistleblowers"

Kim Woong, People Power Party member / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] Kim Woong, a member of the People Power Party, and Hyun Geuntaek, the legal representative of Seo Mo, son of Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae, have been engaged in a daily dispute. When Hyun criticized Kim with the implication that "Kim, who was exempted from military service, does he know anything about the military?" Kim rebutted, saying, "(Even if I couldn't go to the military,) I can fight on the side of the weak."

On the 14th, Kim admitted in a post on his Facebook, saying, "Yes, that's right. I was a pathetic youth who couldn't even go to the military."

He continued, "I can fight on the side of the weak," emphasizing, "That is not with the lungs but with the heart. I am a duty soldier."

Earlier, on the 13th, Hyun had targeted Kim on his Twitter, pointing out, "This person (Kim) was exempted from the military due to a lobectomy," and asked, "Do you know what a duty soldier is?"

He added, "It seems part of the lung was removed, but it doesn't seem to affect breathing," and criticized, "If you have no shame, you wouldn't be able to say anything to the person (Seo) who went to the military despite having knee surgery."

Attorney Hyun Geun-taek, legal representative of Seo Mo, son of Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae / Photo by Yonhap News

Meanwhile, on the same day, controversy arose over the intimidation of a whistleblower after Hwang Hee, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, mentioned the real name of duty soldier A, who first raised suspicions about Seo's military leave.

Previously, on the 12th, Hwang disclosed A's real name on his Facebook, stating, "A reckless child's fire burned down the entire mountain. Judging by his words and actions, he cannot be seen as a lone perpetrator," and insisted, "A thorough investigation of the duty soldier is necessary, and the accomplice forces must also be thoroughly identified."

In response, the opposition criticized Hwang for violating the Whistleblower Protection Act. On the 13th, Kim said, "Isn't this clearly a crime?" and strongly criticized, "During the Yoon Mee-hyang case, even Grandmother Lee Yong-soo was attacked as a pro-Japanese collaborator, so wouldn't such people be able to attack the duty soldier?"

He added, "Seeing the power attacking and intimidating whistleblowers makes me feel like we've regressed back to the 1980s," emphasizing, "History cannot regress like that. If you are Cho Kuk or Choo Mi-ae, then we are the duty soldiers."

Kim also shared a calligraphy on Facebook that day, which read, "Today, I am the duty soldier."

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