hankyoreh

Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae after a meeting of the National Assembly on Sept. 7. (photo pool)

In a public statement on Sept. 13, South Korean Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae said she was “very sorry” for disturbing South Koreans, who are already suffering from the COVID-19 crisis, with a scandal over her son’s military service. This was Choo’s first public apology for the controversy over her son, surnamed Suh, who allegedly received preferential treatment in regard to sick leave.

“The reason I haven’t publicly commented on this issue until now is because I was worried that, as the justice minister, my words might impact the prosecutors’ investigation. The prosecutors must obey the commands of the public to uncover the whole truth without worrying about anyone’s feelings,” Choo said. We’re relieved to see Choo change her attitude, even at this late date, by candidly sharing her feelings about her son and by ordering the prosecutors to be impartial in their investigation.

It’s unfortunate that Choo didn’t open up at the very beginning about her anxiety over the potentially permanent effect of the knee surgery her son received during his military service, considering that Choo’s husband already has a disability. There’s no denying that Choo only made the situation worse when she lashed out against an opposition party lawmaker who raised the allegations, accusing him of making things up.

Now that Choo has apologized to the public and repeatedly called on the prosecutors to conduct an impartial investigation, the prosecutors mustn’t hesitate any longer. We hope the prosecutors will ponder how they’ve raised suspicions about their very independence by dragging out a simple investigation into Suh for eight months. The prosecutors need to bear in mind that the only way to erase this stain from their reputation is to wrap up the scandal through a swift and impartial investigation.

Politicians need to step back from over-the-top political attacks as they wait for the outcome of the prosecutors’ investigation. The Democratic Party needs to open its eyes to the fact that it will only lose public support if it maintains its uncompromising defense of Choo and writes off all allegations against Suh as an attempt to stonewall prosecutorial reform.

The attacks launched by Hwang Hee, a senior Democratic member of the National Defense Committee in the National Assembly, have been particularly inappropriate. Hwang said that the soldier who first raised the allegations “could not have been acting alone” and called for an investigation of his “accomplices.” “When fools play with fire, the whole forest burns down,” Hwang said of the soldier, identifying him by name.

The opposition People Power Party (PPP) needs to think twice before making reckless accusations with the hope of political gain. Considering that the party is obviously aware that the soldier in question personally appeared on TV Chosun this past February to raise the allegations, PPP Spokesperson Kim Eun-hye really took things too far when she spoke of “wickedly shoving the soldier into the court of public opinion.” The opposition party needs to show that it can handle the facts responsibly.

Please direct comments or questions to [english@hani.co.kr]