Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae attending an extraordinary Cabinet meeting held on the 10th at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Yeon-ju] Hyeon, the whistleblower who raised allegations of preferential military service for Seo, the son of Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae, has refuted rumors of going into hiding that have spread in some circles.
Hyeon, who was a duty soldier, has claimed that Seo, the minister's son, did not return on June 25, 2017. Seo's leave was until the 23rd, but he did not return, so Hyeon checked the facts and said a military officer resolved the issue, which raised suspicions.
On the 12th, Hyeon posted on his Facebook, "Contrary to what some people think, I am neither running away nor hiding," adding, "Whether it is the prosecution, the court, or the National Assembly, if the country calls me as a witness, I will testify exactly as the facts are now."
Regarding the "conspiracy theories" and "behind-the-scenes allegations" raised after the whistleblowing, he explained, "I have only talked about this issue so far," and "Since the administrative order was not issued even by June 24, 2017, it was naturally perceived as a failure to return."
He then expressed his feelings, saying, "The stories I know and can tell are already finished, so I hope people stop paying attention to me," and "It is hard enough to focus on the qualification exam for thesis submission and the graduation thesis review."
Meanwhile, the rumors of Hyeon going into hiding surfaced after he stated on Facebook on the 9th that "I plan not to contact any reporters for a while."
Following the spread of these rumors on social networking services (SNS), Hwang Hee, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, also said, "(Hyeon) is starting to go into hiding."
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