Changed Choo... From Mom Back to 'Chudark'

Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae is walking up to the podium to answer questions from lawmakers during the government-wide inquiry on education, social, and cultural affairs held at the National Assembly plenary session on the 17th. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Bae Kyunghwan] Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae has changed. The image of her engaging in heated exchanges with lawmakers, saying things like "So what?", "Are you picking a fight?", and "You're making up stories," has disappeared, replaced by that of a mother. On the 14th, during the National Assembly's government questioning session, Minister Choo denied allegations of special military leave privileges for her son, Seo Mo, and her involvement, describing him as "a son who has never properly fulfilled his role as a son." However, on the last day of the government questioning on the 17th, she confronted opposition lawmakers probing into her son's military privilege allegations with a heated tone.

Unlike three days earlier, when she lowered her stance by appealing to maternal love, saying "Please understand a mother's situation," Minister Choo used strong expressions such as "baseless trifling words" and "absurdity and sophistry." In particular, in response to People Power Party lawmaker Kim Seung-soo's question, "What responsibility will you take for the allegations raised so far?" she replied, "The side that raised the absurdity and sophistry should take responsibility," adding, "I am enduring with infinite patience."

When asked, "Will you comply with the prosecution's summons?" she responded, "There must be specific grounds and clues for the charges, but this has been dragged on for months aiming at political strife and attacks." Minister Choo did not stop there, rebutting, "The public knows well that fairness does not come from baseless trifling words."

Earlier, on the first day of the government questioning, she showed a completely different side from the 'Choo Dark' image she had built up. She spoke boldly on issues such as the prosecution, real estate, and the media, and did not back down from lawmakers, saying, "You should ask proper questions," but she was different only in the National Assembly where her son was under scrutiny.

Minister Choo used the word "mother" more than ten times. She showed an emotional side, saying, "As a mother watching a sick son, I feel sorry for not showing it," "I was a busy mother who couldn't answer," "I am sorry as a mother," and "I was such a busy mother that I couldn't even pay attention to my son's illness."

Regarding allegations of requesting preferential treatment for the selection of a military interpreter, she said, "He studied sports management and is capable enough to handle it. There was no reason to request preferential treatment," and expressed her frustration, saying, "I only learned this time that the military recognized him as my child first and changed the method to a lottery, which resulted in him failing."

She raised her voice about reports on the group SNS chatroom her son was reportedly involved in, saying, "I am not even allowed to see my son's diary, so checking SNS seems inappropriate," and "I couldn't even confirm if this SNS belongs to my son, so it is suspicious."

However, regarding allegations that a staff member from Minister Choo's office called the military unit during the process of extending her son's military leave, she denied, saying, "I did not order any calls," and when asked if she confirmed whether the staff member made the call, she rebutted, "I do not want to confirm whether a call was made."

Regarding opposition lawmakers' demands for her resignation, she dismissed them, saying, "Prosecution reform is a task entrusted to me, and I accept it as my destiny and intend to do my best." Earlier, the day before the government questioning, Minister Choo had already indicated on Facebook that she had no intention of resigning, stating, "Fulfilling the task of prosecution reform without wavering is the will of the people and my fateful duty," and "I will definitely complete prosecution reform."

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