Suspicions of Special Leave for Minister Chu's Son 'Round 2'... Legal Battle Intensifies (Comprehensive Report 2)

Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae is entering the conference room to attend the Cabinet meeting held at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the 6th. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Jung-yoon] The controversy over alleged "special leave" during the military service of Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae's son, Seo, has entered a new phase. Although the prosecution has concluded not to indict Minister Choo's side on various allegations, both Minister Choo's camp and the accusers continue to confront each other with lawsuits, and the aftermath remains intense.

Kim Young-soo, director of the Defense Rights Research Institute and former defense investigator at the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, representing Mr. Hyun's position, announced on the 7th, "We plan to file a complaint with the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Office on the 12th against Minister Choo and Seo's lawyers for defamation by spreading false information." Kim added, "Initially, we intended to file the complaint with the National Police Agency, but we judged that filing it with the Eastern District Prosecutors' Office, where investigation materials remain, would lead to a faster investigation."

Kim also stated, "About 800 people who made insulting remarks against Mr. Hyun through social networking services (SNS) will be reported to the National Police Agency for defamation."

On the previous day, Kim posted a statement on his Facebook, saying, "Mr. Hyun merely spoke the substantive truth he personally experienced, but groups and individuals with political interests, factional logic, and ignoring objective facts, solely driven by confirmation bias, turned a young man into a national liar to confirm their beliefs." He added, "After the investigation results prove the facts, it is common sense and basic human decency to acknowledge that their claims were false and to apologize or at least express regret to the concerned party."

Regarding Seo's side's claim that Seo and Mr. Hyun never spoke about the leave return issue, Kim disclosed a conversation with the spokesperson of the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Office. According to the recording, when Kim protested the lawyer's claim that "(on June 25, 2017) Mr. Hyun never spoke with Seo," the spokesperson replied, "After repeated inquiries, the investigation team confirmed that Seo also admitted the call during the prosecution investigation. The fact is correct."

Earlier, on the 2nd of last month, Seo's legal team issued a statement saying, "On Sunday the 25th, when Mr. A claimed to have been on duty, Seo's leave had already been processed, so there was no reason to contact the duty soldier," and "All situations described by Mr. A are false."

Meanwhile, Shin Won-sik, a member of the People Power Party who raised the special leave allegations against Minister Choo's son, Mr. Hyun, and military officials at the time are scheduled for police investigation.

On the 5th, the civic group Judicial Justice Citizens' Action (Sasehaeng) filed a complaint with the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office against four individuals: Representative Shin, Mr. Hyun, retired Colonel Lee Cheol-won, former commander of the U.S. Forces Korea Support Group, and Lee Kyun-chul, chairman of the People's Party Gyeonggi Province branch. The prosecution forwarded the case to the Seoul Seocho Police Station.

Sasehaeng filed charges on the 17th of last month for defamation by spreading false information and obstruction of business by deception against media organizations. The police will conduct the first complainant investigation on the 13th, and Sasehaeng plans to hold a press conference to state their position before the investigation.

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