[Summary] Choo Mi-ae, Park Neung-hoo, Kang Kyung-wha... Ruling Party Embarrassed by Successive Ministerial Controversies

Choo Mi-ae "Framed with Lies"
Joo Ho-young "Choo Mi-ae's False Explanation Controversy in One Word: Chu (秋) Shameless"
Ministry of Health and Welfare Apologizes for Controversy over Chuseok Poster Featuring Minister and Vice Minister
Kang Kyung-hwa "Apologize for Husband's Overseas Trip"

Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae arrived and is moving to attend the Cabinet meeting held at the Government Seoul Office on the morning of the 29th of last month.
Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy reporters Han Seung-gon and Na Han-ah] Government ministers have recently found themselves in a difficult position amid a series of controversies and scandals. The opposition party is intensifying its offensive, suggesting that political disputes surrounding these issues are likely to continue for some time.

Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae was cleared by the prosecution of allegations of preferential treatment during her son's military service, but she became embroiled in a perjury controversy for allegedly providing false explanations during her responses in the National Assembly regarding the issue.

In response, Minister Choo posted an article titled "The Full Story of Nine Months" on her Facebook on the 2nd, stating, "Although the prosecution's investigation concluded with 'no charges,' the opposition party and conservative media are pushing a 'falsehood frame' that deviates from the essence."

She also emphasized, "The behavior of piecing together a few answers obtained by persistently intimidating me in the National Assembly chamber to frame me as lying is truly an outdated practice that must be avoided."

Earlier, on the 30th of last month, Minister Choo had described the controversy as a "political offensive" and declared, "If there is no proper apology, follow-up measures will be taken."

In response to Minister Choo's rebuttal, Joo Ho-young, floor leader of the People Power Party, criticized on the 2nd, "Minister Choo insisted, 'I don't know about it,' but the prosecution investigation revealed that at the time, Minister Choo gave her aide the phone number of the captain in charge of vacation and sick leave." He added, "Nevertheless, the prosecution gave Minister Choo a clean bill of health with a 'non-prosecution disposition.'"

A screenshot of the Chuseok greeting poster posted on the official Facebook page of the Ministry of Health and Welfare / Source: Facebook screenshot

Amid the political dispute over Minister Choo's allegedly false explanations in the National Assembly, the Ministry of Health and Welfare's 'Chuseok Greeting Poster,' which featured Minister Park Neung-hoo from the 28th of last month to the 1st of this month, sparked criticism that it was promoting the minister using taxpayers' money.

According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Chuseok posters featuring photos of Minister Park Neung-hoo, First Vice Minister Kim Kang-lip, and Second Vice Minister Kang Do-tae were posted on the ministry's official Facebook and blog from the 28th of last month to the 1st of this month.

The posters contained messages such as, "Due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, it is a time when all of our tired bodies and minds need rest. This Chuseok holiday, please stay indoors and take ample rest," and "During this Chuseok holiday, please have a warm holiday by conveying your feelings through video calls to your beloved family and relatives whom you cannot meet due to COVID-19."

In response, Jo Soo-jin, a member of the People Power Party, criticized on her Facebook on the 4th, "The very idea of making something like this is surprising and astonishing. The background is the moon," while former Dongyang University professor Jin Jung-kwon sarcastically commented on Facebook, "Now they are doing a horror special for Chuseok."

Following the controversy, Son Young-rae, spokesperson for the Ministry of Health and Welfare, said at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters regular briefing on the 4th, "(The poster) seems to have caused controversy due to design aspects, and we apologize for causing any trouble."

Spokesperson Son explained, "Every year, greeting cards and video posts featuring messages from the minister and vice ministers are produced for the holidays, and this year was made with the same intention. Please understand it as a simple card (news) posted on the ministry's Facebook or Twitter." He added, "Especially this year, since we promoted the message to refrain from traveling during the Chuseok holiday and to rest at home through various means, we made it into a card and posted it on social network services (SNS)." He also noted that it was produced internally by the spokesperson's office without a separate budget.

Minister Kang Kyung-wha and her husband, Professor Lee Il-byeong, attending the appointment ceremony of Minister Kang Kyung-wha at the Blue House in 2017. Photo by Yonhap News.

Additionally, Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha has come under fire after it was revealed on the 3rd that her husband traveled to the United States to purchase a yacht amid the COVID-19 situation. While quarantine authorities continuously urge the public to practice social distancing, government officials are being criticized for ignoring these guidelines and traveling abroad, raising accusations of double standards.

The opposition party immediately voiced criticism. On the 4th, Choi Hyung-doo, spokesperson for the People Power Party floor, said in a verbal statement, "This shows the reality of the government's double standards," and pointed out, "Citizens refrained from urgent overseas travel and even could not visit ancestral graves during Chuseok in accordance with the government's recommendation to avoid overseas travel." He added, "Yet, the husband of the Foreign Minister, who heads the government department, travels abroad at will. Is this a civilized country?"

Bitter remarks also came from within the ruling party. Kim Tae-nyeon, floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, said at a press conference held at the National Assembly in the afternoon, "Since this involves a high-ranking public official and the family of the Foreign Minister who issued travel restraint recommendations, we consider this behavior inappropriate."

Regarding this, Minister Kang told reporters today, "I feel sorry." She added, "He is well aware of the situation, and I tried to explain it, but ultimately he decided to leave. It was a long-planned and postponed trip, so it is difficult to tell him to return."

Meanwhile, controversies surrounding these ministers are expected to continue during the National Assembly audit. The People Power Party has requested that Hyun Mo, the military attendant who first raised the issue of preferential treatment during Minister Choo's son's military service, and retired Army Colonel Lee Cheol-won, then commander of the Korea Military Support Group, be summoned as general witnesses for the Ministry of Justice and military court audits.