Kim Tae-nyeon "Opposition's false accusations against Chu" vs Joo Ho-young "Protecting Chu ruins all state institutions"

-Kim Tae-nyeon directly clarifies facts on Chu Mi-ae's son allegations... Party-level all-out effort
-Joo Ho-young: "Prosecutors, Ministry of National Defense, and Anti-Corruption Commission all ruined trying to save 'Private Seo'"
-Second day of government questioning also predicts ruling and opposition clash

Kim Tae-nyeon, Floor Leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, and Han Jeong-ae, Chair of the Policy Planning Committee, are attending the floor strategy meeting held at the National Assembly on the 15th. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Nahum] Kim Tae-nyeon, the floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, criticized the allegations of preferential treatment in military service for the children of Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae as "a typical opposition party's distorted rumor turning a deer into a horse," and directly clarified the facts. The party appears to be making every effort to defend Minister Choo at the party level. The People Power Party is intensifying its offensive. It is expected that the confrontation between the ruling and opposition parties will escalate during the scheduled government questioning session on foreign affairs, unification, and security at the National Assembly on the same day.

At the floor leaders' meeting held at the National Assembly that day, Floor Leader Kim said regarding the allegations of preferential treatment in military service for Minister Choo's son, "This matter, which should not be a problem at all, has been exaggerated into a massive power-related corruption case due to the opposition party's reckless political attack."

He said, "Since the facts are being concealed and falsehoods are turning into truths, I want to clarify the facts once again," and refuted the allegations raised by the opposition party point by point.

First, regarding the initial informant, 'duty soldier' Hyun Mo, Floor Leader Kim explained, "Hyun's claim itself is likely a misunderstanding or misconception that is difficult to establish factually," and added, "The return date from leave for Minister Choo's child, Seo Mo, was June 23, 2017, but Hyun said he only found out on the night of the 25th. Since personnel management is done twice a day through roll calls, it is impossible to identify a non-returnee on the 23rd only by the evening of the 25th."

He continued, "The opposition claims that Seo did not submit documents for extending sick leave and did not undergo medical review. However, Seo submitted the relevant documents via email, and the captain in charge, who has the authority to approve, approved it," emphasizing, "According to the Ministry of National Defense's regulations, Seo's sick leave is not subject to medical review. Since 2016, there has been no case of active-duty personnel who were not hospitalized receiving medical review."

He also said, "The opposition argues that Seo should have returned after applying for personal leave," adding, "If the person in charge approves, it is possible to use leave even while not returned. In cases of unavoidable reasons during leave, applications can be made via phone, email, or KakaoTalk."

Floor Leader Kim stated, "Seo's sick leave and leave were carried out according to regulations. I question whether this matter should be expanded and reproduced like this when it concerns the son of the current Minister of Justice who is leading prosecutorial reform," and explained the reason for the clarification, saying, "There should be no preferential treatment, but there should also be no injustice." He also urged, "Since the prosecution is conducting an investigation, leave the investigation to the prosecution, and I ask the opposition party to now focus on what the National Assembly should do."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

As Floor Leader Kim devoted a considerable amount of time during the meeting to defending Minister Choo, there is an analysis that the party leadership is launching an all-out battle to protect Minister Choo. In response, the People Power Party is intensifying its offensive.

Joo Ho-young, floor leader of the People Power Party, criticized at the floor leaders' meeting that day, "Three state institutions are all being ruined to save either Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae or Private Seo. The prosecution is being ruined, the Ministry of National Defense, and the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission are also being ruined."

Regarding Minister Choo's response during the previous day's political government questioning, when an opposition lawmaker asked, "Have you later checked whether the aide actually made the solicitation call?" Minister Choo replied, "I do not want to check," Floor Leader Joo pointed out, "Where is such an arrogant answer? In other words, it is a situation where one can only think that after checking, it was confirmed that the call was made."

In fact, even within the ruling party, there is an atmosphere of acknowledging that the aide made a complaint-type call. Kim Jong-min, a Supreme Council member of the Democratic Party, said in an interview on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' that "It is not logically acceptable that Minister Choo, who was the party leader at the time, would simply make a complaint call," and added, "There is a possibility that Minister Choo's aide, who is close to Seo, made an inquiry call to the Ministry of National Defense."

Floor Leader Joo said, "Afterwards, people will realize how wrong it was, but before it is too late, I hope Minister Choo will have the great courage to make a prompt decision instead of fighting against the entire nation."

The confrontation between the ruling and opposition parties over Minister Choo's son is expected to continue during the government questioning session on foreign affairs, unification, and security scheduled for that afternoon. In particular, Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo, who is in charge of military service, is likely to be targeted. Members of the People Power Party, including Park Jin, Ha Tae-kyung, Seong Il-jong, and Shin Won-sik, are set to question, and it is known that all but one member have prepared questions related to the military service allegations concerning Minister Choo's son. On the Democratic Party side, members Ahn Gyu-baek, Min Hong-chul, Lee Jae-jung, Kim Yong-min, Yang Ki-dae, and Hong Ki-won are expected to defend.

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