People Power Party: "Ministry of National Defense Defends Chu Mi-ae with Empty Data... Is Defense Minister Holding Dual Roles?"

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] The People Power Party criticized Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae, saying "The Ministry of National Defense is defending Minister Choo with baseless materials" and asked, "Is the Minister of National Defense holding dual positions?"

Members of the People Power Party's Judiciary Committee stated at a press conference on the 16th, "The leave records do not match, but the Ministry of National Defense is spouting nonsense that 'there is no problem according to regulations.'"

They pointed out that Private First Class Seo, Minister Choo's son, took a petition leave without a leave order. They criticized, "The basis for Seo's 1st and 2nd petition leaves exists only in the interview records, and there is no leave order," adding, "Ultimately, he took leave without an order, which is unauthorized leave."

The leave order system requires an application from the support unit (sergeant or captain), approval from the regional unit (lieutenant colonel), and issuance of the order by the support group (colonel). However, in Seo's case, only the unit diary, interview records, and service records note that he took the 1st and 2nd petition leaves, but there is no material confirming who, when, and for how many days the leave order was issued.

The lawmakers raised issues of regulation violations and suspicions of external pressure, stating, "In the case of personal leave, the unit diary, interview records, and service records that the Ministry of National Defense presents as evidence for Seo's 1st and 2nd petition leaves all differ in dates and durations." Seo's personal leave order was for 4 days, but the unit diary records 5 days, the interview records 4 days, the service records 2 days, and the Military Manpower Administration records 5 days, showing discrepancies in both the number of days and the period of leave.

In particular, the interview record dated May 10, 2017, notes that the sick leave was scheduled to start on June 5 of the same year, yet there was no leave order, leading to accusations of "military absence without leave." The lawmakers said, "The Ministry of National Defense must clearly explain who, when, and for how many days issued the leave order for Seo's personal leave, and why the leave-related records differ," adding, "We plan to file charges against those involved in falsifying official documents and making false reports under Article 38 of the Military Criminal Act."

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