People Power Party Holds Emergency Lawmakers' Meeting Ahead of Chuseok... No Charges for Chu Mi-ae and Condemnation of North Korea Response

Joo Ho-young, floor leader of the People Power Party, is presiding over a virtual party meeting at the National Assembly on the 29th. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy reporters Lee Ji-eun and Lim Chun-han] The People Power Party held an emergency party meeting on the 29th, a day before the Chuseok holiday, to condemn the dismissal of allegations regarding Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae's son's extended leave.

Joo Ho-young, the floor leader, stated at the video conference meeting held that morning, "The Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Office committed an outrageous act by dismissing all allegations related to Minister Choo's son's military absence," adding, "With public interest heightened due to the civil servant murder case and the start of the Chuseok holiday, the media was relatively quiet, so we held this video meeting to denounce the incident and discuss future measures."

Joo criticized, "It is clear that there was no leave order, and even verbally, it was not revealed who issued the leave order, yet the case was dismissed," and added, "Perhaps feeling embarrassed or lacking confidence, the investigating prosecutor did not disclose their identity, quietly posted the announcement on KakaoTalk, and did not take any questions."

Assembly member Cho Soo-jin also pointed out, "They gave a clean chit right before the Chuseok holiday and ended it," suggesting, "It seems the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Office considered the Blue House and ruling party's stance that the investigation results should be announced before the Chuseok holiday." She emphasized, "Without any prior notice, around 3 p.m., all involved were cleared of charges, with no official press conference or Q&A session, despite Minister Choo's statements to the National Assembly being proven false."

She criticized, "The prosecution's announcement of the investigation results rationalizes the statements made by Minister Choo and Defense Minister Jung Kyeong-doo," and added, "It can be summarized as simply following the investigation guidelines verbatim."

Assembly member Jeon Ju-hye said, "This is a comprehensive investigation failure and a forced conclusion," adding, "I must say that despite the lack of any objective evidence regarding the credibility of Private Seo Il-byung's testimony, an unreasonable conclusion was reached."

She stated, "Minister Choo repeatedly claimed during government questioning and in the National Assembly that she was not involved in her son's leave, did not know that her aide called the military unit, and did not instruct the aide to make the call," and urged, "Minister Choo must take responsibility for these repeated lies and be strongly held accountable."

Assembly member Yoo Sang-beom said, "In consultation with Assembly member Kim Do-eup, we plan to visit the Eastern District Prosecutors' Office today to immediately obtain the non-prosecution rationale document to understand the actual reasons for dismissal and decide whether to appeal," emphasizing, "Documents confirming the timing of Private Seo's return have not been received, yet the Eastern District Prosecutors' Office turned a blind eye to this. We plan to appeal or actively raise suspicions regarding this matter as well."

The People Power Party's Task Force for Investigating the Atrocities of North Korea Killing Our Citizens held a press conference at the National Assembly on the 29th and briefed on the results of the joint investigation with the Joint Chiefs of Staff./Photo by Yoon Dong-ju doso7@

On the same day, the People Power Party's 'Task Force (TF) for Investigating the Atrocities of North Korea Killing Our Citizens' also condemned the Blue House's response to the Yeonpyeong Island shelling incident at a press conference. The TF stated, "The Blue House Crisis Situation Room was cooperating through an information-sharing system, yet the Blue House did not issue a single directive until the victims were killed," and added, "After the killings, frequent emergency meetings were held to the point of suffocation, delaying action until the next day, clearly revealing attempts to cover up the incident."

They also said, "Although about 70 Chinese fishing vessels were present on the NLL (Northern Limit Line), no active cooperation was sought," and explained, "According to the 'Agreement on the Prevention of Accidental Collisions at Sea and the Suspension of Propaganda Activities and Removal of Propaganda Means in the Military Demarcation Line Area' signed by South and North Korea on June 4, 2004, the use of the international common maritime communication network and supplementary methods such as airflow and light signals are stipulated, but these were not utilized either."