Police: "Investigation into Alleged Special Leave for Choo's Son Follows Standard Procedures"

Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae is arriving at the Ministry of Justice in the Gwacheon Government Complex, Gyeonggi-do, on the 22nd. Photo by Moon Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Song Seung-yoon] The police stated that they are conducting the investigation into the alleged special leave privileges during the military service of Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae's son, Seo, following the usual procedures.

Jang Ha-yeon, Commissioner of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, explained at a press briefing on the 26th, "The investigation is underway according to standard procedures, and as far as I know, it has not progressed to the point of drawing any conclusions regarding the content."

According to the police, one complaint related to Minister Choo was filed with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Intelligent Crime Investigation Unit (Jisudae) and another with the Seocho Police Station. The police plan to consolidate all related cases under the Jisudae for investigation.

The son of Minister Choo filed a complaint last month against retired Colonel Lee and SBS for defamation based on false information. Previously, SBS reported, citing a recorded phone conversation between National Assembly member Shin Won-sik of the People Power Party and retired Colonel Lee, that there was a request for favors related to unit assignment during Seo's military service.

The phone recording released by Assemblyman Shin included retired Colonel Lee's statements such as, "When Choo Mi-ae's son came to KATUSA, I rejected all the pressures that came in from the initial classification, including during the Winter Olympics," and "I personally sat down with Professor Seo, Choo Mi-ae's husband, and Choo Mi-ae's mother-in-law and spent 40 minutes instructing them not to make any requests." It is known that the Jisudae recently summoned retired Colonel Lee as a suspect to investigate the facts related to the complaint.

Regarding some media reports that the investigation team separately questioned retired Colonel Lee about unrelated past military duties, the police clarified, "The investigation was conducted in the presence of a lawyer, and after reviewing the records, there was no such content at all."

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