[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter]The Ministry of National Defense stated on the 17th that regarding the criticism that the records of leave days during the military service of Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae's son were "inconsistent," "the reason for such errors should be confirmed through the prosecution's investigation."
At the regular briefing that day, Ministry of National Defense Deputy Spokesperson Moon Hong-sik reiterated the previous position that "administrative measures were insufficient" and said, "(During the internal investigation) there could be confusion in the prosecution's investigation, so we will wait for the prosecution's investigation results.”
The day before, Kim Do-eup, the floor leader of the National Assembly's Judiciary Committee, held a press conference with Judiciary Committee members from the People Power Party and claimed, based on internal Ministry of National Defense documents obtained regarding Minister Choo's son Seo Mo (27), "The number and period of leave days differ in the unit diary, interview records, and service records."
Seo used his first sick leave (petition leave) from June 5 to 14, 2017, and his second sick leave from the 15th to the 23rd. He then took personal leave from the 24th to the 27th before returning.
However, according to the records released by the People Power Party, the dates and number of days for the second sick leave and personal leave were mixed across different types of records.
Regarding the claim by People Power Party lawmaker Shin Won-sik that the person who called the Ministry of National Defense's civil affairs office was a woman but the name of Minister Choo's husband was recorded, Deputy Spokesperson Moon responded, "Since the prosecution took related materials during the search and seizure process, I think it will be revealed there."
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