[Initial Perspective] Prosecution Reform Again? ... Ruling Party's Jirokwi-ma

Prosecutors investigating the 'military leave suspicion' involving Choo Mi-ae, Minister of Justice's son, conducted a search and seizure at the Ministry of National Defense's Comprehensive Civil Service Office in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on the 15th, while reporters waited. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Ji Yeon-jin] It might have been considered nothing serious. The allegation of "special leave" during the military service of Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae's son could be, as Kim Tae-nyeon, the floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, stated, "the fact that a young man took sick leave during his military service to undergo surgery, and because his condition did not improve, he extended his personal leave for treatment."

A reporter with no military experience asked male juniors in their early 30s about the allegations concerning Minister Choo's son. Most replied that they had "never seen a case where parents extended sick leave by phone." In severe illnesses, it is possible to have surgery outside the military through petition leave, but generally, recovery takes place at a military hospital. After they were discharged, the reporter asked a 20-something nephew who was discharged last year, hoping that human rights in the military had greatly improved. The answer was that "the discretion of the unit plays a significant role." The length of sick leave can vary depending on the commander's approval. However, extending petition leave due to knee surgery, which is not a major operation, was said to be "obviously a special favor." They had never heard of "applying for an extension by phone, email, or KakaoTalk during leave due to unavoidable reasons."

The allegation of special leave for Mr. Seo, which surfaced during Minister Choo's confirmation hearing, has recently come back into the spotlight as several internal whistleblowers have emerged. Mr. Seo served as a KATUSA soldier in the 2nd Infantry Division area of the U.S. 8th Army Korea Support Group in 2017, using a total of 23 days of first and second sick leave and personal leave consecutively. Testimonies have followed that Minister Choo's side exerted external pressure several times by phone during this process. The sick leave interview records of Mr. Seo, recorded in the regiment's integrated administrative system managing military administrative tasks, include the note, "It was confirmed that the parents filed a complaint after consultation." Although such complaints do not violate regulations, would the leave extension have been possible without the background of being the ruling party leader? Parents without power or backing would not have even thought of filing such complaints.

Nevertheless, the ruling party completely denied the allegations, calling them "typical opposition party slander turning a deer into a horse (Kim Tae-nyeon, floor leader)." Democratic Party lawmaker Hwang Hee suspected a "lone culprit" and questioned the backing. Minister Choo also said, "My son and I are the biggest victims," and a secretary to Minister Choo, who was identified as the person making the complaint calls to Seo's unit, said, "The essence is prosecutorial reform." The logic is that because he is the son of the current Minister of Justice leading prosecutorial reform, he is being indiscriminately attacked.

Last year, during the "Cho Kuk incident," the ruling party also actively defended former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk's family corruption allegations by emphasizing prosecutorial reform. Considering that the late former President Roh Moo-hyun, who pushed for prosecutorial reform, took his own life while under investigation by prosecutors, it is understandable that the ruling party has trauma. In fact, former Minister Cho showed sincerity by resigning immediately after announcing the prosecutorial reform plan.

Minister Choo's situation is different. Most legislation related to prosecutorial reform has already been enacted, and since her appointment, Minister Choo has made personnel changes in the prosecution to the extent that the term "massacre" has been used. On the contrary, the prosecution began investigating the allegations against Minister Choo's son early this year but has been criticized for stagnation for over eight months. There are also suspicions that the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Office omitted testimony from military officers unfavorable to Minister Choo's side.

"Turning a deer into a horse" is a phrase from the Qin Dynasty in China, where a eunuch at the pinnacle of power called a deer a horse in front of the emperor to identify his allies. It is a metaphor for mocking superiors and wielding power. Is it not "turning a deer into a horse" that the ruling party with 178 seats issued a guideline stating "the allegations are not true" regarding an ongoing prosecution investigation?

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