"Choo's Son's 'Sweet' Military Service Is a Privilege and a Cheat"
[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] Ahn Cheol-soo, leader of the People’s Party, criticized Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae on the 14th, saying, “The public is now asking whether Minister Choo wielded special privileges. They are curious if there was any foul play regarding Minister Choo’s son’s leave,” and added, “They ask about fairness and justice, so why does Minister Choo respond with melodrama and irrelevant answers?”
At the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly that day, Ahn said, “The core issue is whether the privileged and unfair ‘emperor’ military life, where even the KATUSA (Korean Augmentation To the United States Army) support squad leader would have to crawl if he were not the son of the ruling party leader, was possible.”
He stated, “For ordinary young people with typical parents in this country who go to the military, follow orders, endure unfairness without properly speaking up, Minister Choo’s son’s ‘sweet’ military life itself is a privilege and foul play,” and criticized, “What does the son’s issue have to do with prosecutorial reform? It has been eight months without any investigation results because of watching the minister’s mood, and now we are supposed to believe that he is quietly waiting for the prosecution’s investigation results? Even a passing dog wouldn’t laugh at that.”
He continued, “Is Minister Choo’s shamelessness due to the president’s backing? The Ministry of National Defense stepping in to save Minister Choo?is that reflecting the president’s intentions? The so-called backing is the problem now, but is Minister Choo holding on with the president’s backing?” He added, “If it weren’t for former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk and Minister Choo, is there not a single person in the administration who can carry out the so-called prosecutorial reform that the president wants to do?”
Regarding the 4th supplementary budget, Ahn said, “It seems the government’s indiscriminate plan to provide 20,000 won in communication fees will ultimately be pushed through,” and expressed regret, saying, “It is unfortunate that Lee Nak-yeon, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, showed the old-fashioned attitude of ‘if you back down, it’s over’ rather than having the courage to admit mistakes and correct them.”
Ahn emphasized, “We must clearly uphold the principle of ‘support where disasters occur, compensation where damage exists.’ And we must minimize blind spots as much as possible,” adding, “Those who could not operate due to the government’s business suspension orders should be supported regardless of industry classification, as long as there is no illegality.” He further stated, “The principle of concentrated support, providing more assistance to areas with greater damage, must also be enforced. Support for small business owners, self-employed individuals, and those working in those sectors should be increased, and the 900 billion won budget for communication fee support should also be redirected to emergency livelihood support for those in need.”
Ahn said, “Of the 7.8 trillion won in this supplementary budget, most?7.5 trillion won?will be raised through deficit bonds. This is all a burden on the people. Given this situation, public officials who receive salaries from taxpayers should also take the lead in overcoming the crisis,” and requested, “I ask that you consider paying 10% of public officials’ salaries in local currency or Onnuri gift certificates for just three months until the end of this year.”
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