Criticism of Protecting Yeo: "If Only It Wasn't Approached Solely as the Son of a Giant Power"
Jang Kyung-tae, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, is delivering a 5-minute free speech at the National Assembly plenary session on the afternoon of the 4th of last month. Photo by Yonhap News
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suwan] Jang Kyung-tae, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, defended the recent disclosure of a document revealing that one of Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae and her spouse inquired with the Ministry of National Defense about extending their son's sick leave, saying, "It's not like they have to completely cut off contact and sever the parent-child relationship."
On the 10th, Jang appeared on YTN Radio's 'Starting Morning' and argued, "It would be difficult to call the process of inquiring and confirming military administrative matters a solicitation."
He added, "As the party leader at the time, contacting them could have led to further misunderstandings, so it can be seen that they avoided contacting as parents. It has been revealed that many people who trained together attended the completion ceremony. No specific facts of solicitation have been uncovered. From my perspective, this is an excessive political dispute fueled by inflated suspicions."
Regarding the omission of only Minister Choo’s son’s leave records, he said, "Why should the enlisted soldier have to prove the omitted leave records?"
He further explained about the aide to Minister Choo who directly called the military unit to inquire about extending the son's sick leave, saying, "It was a process of extending sick leave due to knee surgery, pain, and swelling. The pain was reportedly very severe, so naturally, either the individual or the parents could have inquired about military administrative support such as treatment expenses. However, since the parents were unable to do so, it seems the aide, who is well-versed in administrative procedures, was confirming the process."
He continued, "I also think there might have been unavoidable circumstances from the perspective of a son whose mother is a politician. It is very important to verify whether there was any specific solicitation. Simply making contact alone does not necessarily mean there was a problem," he elaborated.
Regarding criticism that the ruling party is excessively protecting Minister Choo’s son amid the allegations, Jang said, "It would be better to approach this with common sense. It seems like people are excessively focusing only on him as the son of a powerful figure."
Meanwhile, Minister Choo has maintained that she has never been involved in her son's leave process. However, controversy erupted after a Ministry of National Defense document was disclosed on the 9th revealing that one of the Minister and her spouse directly filed a leave complaint.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
