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| Rep. Kim Tae-nyeon, floor leader of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), talks with other DPK lawmakers at the plenary chamber in the National Assembly in Seoul, Thursday. Some DPK members have recently made remarks defending Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae against allegations surrounding her son's military service, but they have invited criticism from the opposition and the public. Yonhap |
By Jung Da-min
The ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) is going too far in trying to save Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae from allegations surrounding her son's military service.
Many party members are defending Choo saying that she did not peddle her influence ― as then head of the party ― and that her son received no special treatment during his compulsory service.
They even say that her son, surnamed Seo, deserved compliments rather than criticism as he fulfilled his military service despite being in poor health.
But their remarks are not helping Choo. They are instead backfiring as they lack rationality and any legal foundation; rather they make inappropriate comparisons and are full of misinformation.
In particular, DPK spokesman Rep. Park Sung-joon's remarks, in which he compared Choo's son to the late independence fighter Ahn Jung-geun, have brought strong criticism from the opposition and the public.
Choo earlier claimed that her son insisted on serving in the military although he could have been given an exemption due to his history of knee surgery ― although there are different views over whether such surgery constituted a cause for an exemption.
Citing Choo's account, Rep. Park said in a statement, Wednesday, "Choo's son lived up to what independence fighter Ahn Jung-geun said: 'it is soldiers' duty to sacrifice themselves for the country.'"
Park was referring to the famous remark Ahn made when he was in prison after assassinating Hirobumi Ito, Japan's first resident governor of Korea, in 1909.
This statement immediately drew harsh criticism for "belittling the achievements of patriot Ahn," and "tarnishing the history of the country's independence movement," according to the main opposition People Power Party (PPP).
"The ruling party is bringing on bigger trouble while trying to cover up the truth. Lacking a comparison for the issue, they have now damaged and insulted Ahn's great spirit," Rep. Sung Il-jong said in a PPP meeting, Thursday.
Spokesman Yoon Hee-seok also said in a commentary, Thursday, that DPK members, sunk in groupthink, are losing all forms of rational judgment while blindly defending Choo without question.
Before Rep. Park, other DPK members were embroiled in controversy while siding with Choo.
In a radio interview, Sept. 8, Rep. Jung Chung-rae talked about the allegations that one of Choo's aides called the military to illicitly extend Seo's leave after he had a second knee operation during his military service. "If you ask a restaurant owner to bring kimchi jjigae (kimchi stew) fast, is it a solicitation?" Jung said.
Regarding this, political critic Chin Jung-kwon wrote on Facebook, "It seems the DPK people make solicitations as often as they order kimchi jjigae at restaurants."
Seo served as a member of the Korea Augmentation Troops to the United States Army (KATUSA), a position that Rep. Woo Sang-ho was apparently derogatory about in describing the "easy" duty of such soldiers when he tried to defend Choo against the allegations that she used her influence to have him assigned to an "easier" post.
"Serving as a KATUSA is an easy posting itself, so the dispute is meaningless," Woo said in a media interview, Sept. 9. "Taking leave or not, or having a post or another ― these are meaningless as a KATUSA."
His remarks led KATUSA reservists calling for an apology.
Seo had knee surgery in 2015 before being posted as a KATUSA a year later for his mandatory military service that would end 2018. In June 2017, he had two consecutive sick leaves for a combined 19 days for knee surgery, and also took an additional four days of personal annual leave. But it is alleged that there are no military records regarding 13 out of the 23 days total leave, which was also rather long compared to other cases.
DPK floor leader Rep. Kim Tae-nyeon said Tuesday during a party meeting that soldiers could extend their leave through SNS messaging such as using Kakao Talk, which brought controversy as SNS messages are deemed inappropriate for making official requests to extend military leave.
