Seo Wook on Choo's Son Favoritism: "Difficult to Assess as It Falls Under Unit Commander's Jurisdiction"

Defense Minister nominee Seo Wook is attending the confirmation hearing held at the National Assembly on the 16th, responding to questions from lawmakers. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] On the 16th, Seo Wook, the nominee for Minister of National Defense, said regarding whether Mr. Seo, the son of Minister Chu Mi-ae, received special treatment for a 19-day sick leave during his military service, "It is within the commander's discretion, so it is difficult to evaluate here," and added, "As the Chief of Staff, I took measures to ensure he responds sincerely to the prosecution's investigation."

At the National Assembly confirmation hearing that day, in response to People Power Party lawmaker Ha Tae-kyung's criticism that "Mr. Seo received 19 days of sick leave with only 4 days of hospital treatment, which is special treatment," Seo said, "Once the results come out, we will take follow-up actions to address any issues in our military." When Ha said, "He is not soldier-like and only watches the situation," Seo emphasized, "I am speaking sincerely and straightforwardly as it is."

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

The day before, Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo responded during the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs, Unification, and Security Questions to People Power Party lawmaker Ha Tae-kyung's inquiry that "There are cases like Mr. Seo's where he inquired about extending sick leave by phone but was told to 'return first,' and the extension was denied due to the absence of a medical review at the military hospital," by saying, "That is in accordance with the regulations."

Mr. Seo took sick leave twice in 2017 (first from June 5 to 14, second from June 15 to 23) and immediately took personal leave (June 24 to 27). According to Army regulations, if it was a normal leave, Mr. Seo should have returned to the unit on the 23rd and then applied for personal leave, but he did not return. According to on-duty soldier A, on Sunday, June 25, a person presumed to be affiliated with the Army Headquarters visited and instructed, "Process Mr. Seo as on leave." The Ministry of National Defense stated, "There are records that can be seen as prior approval of Mr. Seo's personal leave, and it was merely a delay in personnel orders."

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