[Asia Economy Reporter Yang Nak-gyu] The Ministry of National Defense clarified that the support for military personnel was civilian assistance in response to reports that Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-du and the CEO of the public mask distribution company 'Geo Young' were reported to the prosecution regarding 'forced labor of soldiers.'
On the 2nd, Ministry of National Defense spokesperson Choi Hyun-soo explained at a regular briefing, "According to the government's mask supply stabilization measures, about 500 personnel are deployed daily to support around 200 production companies, distribution companies, and pharmacies," adding, "This support was provided in accordance with the law."
Spokesperson Choi added, "According to the Disaster and Safety Act, the head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters can request necessary support from the heads of related disaster management agencies, and the heads of the requested agencies must comply unless there are special reasons."
Attorney Kang Yong-seok filed a complaint with the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office on behalf of eight people, including the wife of the late Han Sang-guk, a casualty of the Second Battle of Yeonpyeong, accusing Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-du, Minister of Strategy and Finance Hong Nam-ki, and Geo Young CEO Jo Sun-hye of breach of duty and abuse of authority.
There are suspicions that the public mask distribution company 'Geo Young,' which is under police investigation for distributing 600,000 masks without reporting to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS), forced military personnel into labor.
Attorney Kang claimed, "Minister Jeong abused his authority by deploying about 70 military personnel daily to the private company Geo Young, but the soldiers received no compensation at all," and "Minister Hong signed an exclusive supply contract for public masks with Geo Young, causing Geo Young to gain unfair profits of 100 to 200 won per mask."
He continued, "Geo Young forced military personnel into labor and, as of last week, earned profits exceeding 3 billion won," adding, "It is known that Geo Young received 900 won per mask, and it appears to be generating daily profits of 700 million won."
Meanwhile, as of 10 a.m. on the same day, the cumulative number of confirmed COVID-19 cases within the military is 39, with 7 currently undergoing treatment. The cumulative confirmed cases by branch are: Army 21 (19 recovered), Navy 1, Marine Corps 2 (2 recovered), Air Force 14 (11 recovered), and 1 in the Ministry of National Defense direct units.
According to health authorities, about 80 people are in quarantine, and according to military standards, about 1,770 are under preventive quarantine.
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