Prosecutors Dismiss All Complaints in 'Choo Mi-ae's Son Related Solicitation and Lies' Case

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Jung-yoon] All cases in which former Minister of Justice Chu Mi-ae was accused of making improper requests or giving false testimony in the National Assembly regarding her son have been dismissed by the prosecution.

On the 12th, according to the prosecution, the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Office investigated four cases filed by the Action Alliance for the Restoration of the Rule of Law (Beopse-ryeon) against former Minister Chu and dismissed all of them. In the prosecution, dismissal means a non-prosecution disposition given when the conditions for indictment or continued investigation are not met.

Previously, Beopse-ryeon had accused former Minister Chu of abusing her authority and violating the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act by making improper requests to have her son, Seo, selected as an interpreter soldier for the Pyeongchang Olympics in 2017.

The prosecution judged that the calls from former Minister Chu’s side were merely general inquiries and were difficult to recognize as improper requests. They also determined that the inquiries did not fall under the authority of a member of the National Assembly.

Furthermore, the prosecution concluded that former Minister Chu’s statements last year during the confirmation hearing, government questioning in the National Assembly, the Special Committee on Budget and Accounts, and the National Assembly audit, asserting that she had never been involved in her son’s leave processing, were not false testimony, and dismissed the accusations. They also judged that the allegations of violations of the National Assembly Testimony and Inspection Act, the Telecommunications Basic Act, and the Personal Information Protection Act mentioned in the complaint could not be legally applied to this case.

In addition, the prosecution dismissed the defamation case filed last October against former Minister Chu for posting a photo of a reporter waiting in front of her home on her SNS, stating that it was a simple expression of opinion and it was difficult to conclude that there was an intent to defame.