Choo Mi-ae: "The Cause Was the Duty Soldier's 'Kadeura'... Will the Opposition Take Responsibility for Their Absurdity and Sophistry?"

“To Qualify as a Whistleblower, One Must Align with the Public Interest”
Regarding Possible Prosecution Summons: “Political Attack”
“Fairness Does Not Stem from Baseless Accusations”

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] On the 17th, Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae addressed allegations of preferential treatment during her son's military service, stating, "The origin of this incident is the duty soldier who is known as the initial whistleblower. He is not from the same company as my son but from a different company, so it is what you call hearsay." She added, "Soldiers refer to those not in the same company as 'the man next door,' so this is based on misunderstandings and assumptions from 'the man next door.'

At the National Assembly during a government-wide question session on education, society, and culture, in response to a question from Kim Seung-soo of the People Power Party, Minister Choo said, "The opposition party calls him a public interest whistleblower, but to meet the criteria for public interest whistleblowing, it must align with the public good." She continued, "Institutions that accept public interest whistleblowing and members of the National Assembly should also conduct verification to take a responsible stance."

Minister Choo stated, "Adding suspicion upon suspicion has caused this to snowball to this extent, but those who raise baseless claims and sophistry must take responsibility." She added, "The prosecution is currently investigating, and a conclusion will be reached, so wouldn't it be better to wait patiently? I am also exercising a lot of patience."

When Representative Kim asked, "Can you take responsibility for saying that neither the minister nor your husband made calls to the civil affairs office?" Minister Choo retorted, "What kind of responsibility should I take? Will you take responsibility later for your baseless claims and sophistry?"

Regarding a photo of her son playing soccer a few months before enlistment, Minister Choo criticized, "Are you implying that my son underwent an unnecessary surgery just to get a few extra days of leave? Can you take responsibility for that? Making such allegations on this national stage causes public misunderstanding; what responsibility can you take for that?"

On the possibility of her being summoned by the prosecution, Minister Choo said, "That is exactly political strife and political assault. That is what they are aiming for." She continued, "There must be concrete grounds for charges and leads for investigation, yet they have dragged this out for months aiming for that." She added, "There are one or two new complaints against me every day. If I respond to all and appear, how can I manage my duties? Fairness does not come from baseless gossip."

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