[단독]”Is it possible to request a vacation by phone?” An uncontrolled protest in the complaints office of the Ministry of Defense

After the Ministry of National Defense published explanatory data on the 10th, “Holidays are legal for the son of the Minister of Justice, Chu Mi-ae, 27, while he is serving as a KATUSA soldier,” calls are being made. protest to the complaints office of the Ministry of Defense. According to several former and current military personnel, this situation occurred from the morning of the day after the Ministry of Defense released the data.

A military officer who wanted to remain anonymous said: “I know there were many protest calls from parents with children in the military.” “Some of them said, ‘My son was sick, but he was crying in his mother’s heart and he sent a taxi. The military asked me to refund their taxi fare.’He said.

Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae attends a questionnaire on the government that was held in the main hall of the National Assembly on the 14th and answers questions from legislators. On that day, Minister Chu said, “I did not make a call,” regarding the suspicion that an aide from the legislator’s office called the unit during the extension of his son Seo’s sick leave while in the military. . “I said. In addition, on suspicion that Minister Chu’s partner inquired with the complaints office of the Ministry of Defense in June 2017 to extend their son’s vacation, they replied that” I have not called the Office of Civil Affairs of the Ministry of Defence”. [연합뉴스]

A reserve general said: “I received a call to the Defense Ministry on the 11th and I was on the phone,” he said. “After a difficult connection, I asked and the complaints office was busy with vacation-related inquiries,” he said.

Previously, the Defense Ministry said that “if there is an inescapable reason during the holidays, it is possible to extend the holidays by phone.” It was explained that Seo’s behavior, “I extended the vacation by calling the troops,” is not only a special benefit, but also does not violate related orders and regulations.

Military officials reported that many active duty parents, who had heard this news through media reports, called the Defense Ministry’s complaints office in protest.

In this regard, an official from the Ministry of Defense said: “I do not know the exact number, but it is true that the number of complaints has increased (after the explanatory data from the Ministry of Defense was released).” “There were not only protests or criticism calls (as it is known). There were also inquiries about vacation procedures,” he said. “This is not a unique phenomenon, but it is common when social problems arise.”

In a political questionnaire conducted in the main assembly hall of the National Assembly on the 14th, Chung Cheong-rae, a member of the Democratic Party, asks Prime Minister Jeong Sye-gyun about the suspicion of preferential vacations while serving in the military, the son of the Minister of Justice, Chu Mi-ae. Representative Jung holds up a poster based on the Ministry of Defense clarification that Seo’s vacation is not a problem due to regulations. [뉴스1]

Since the clarification of the Ministry of National Defense, the ‘annoying military spirit’ has also been appearing everywhere. A military officer “If you look at the Ministry of Defense explanations, each one is a problem. Realistically, I am angry that there is no problem even though the front-line units cannot do that.”He said: “The people who made the data will also be really stabbed into their conscience.”

Minister Chu and the ruling party said: “The suspicion of preferential holidays has been resolved due to the explanation of the Ministry of National Defense.” Among military officers, it is noted that there is a strong smell of preferential treatment not only in sick leave but also in the process of writing personal love songs afterward.

In particular, in relation to the report that “a vacation order was issued on the 25th, which is Sunday”, in the process of change to leave for personal love (June 24-27, 2017) immediately after the second sick leave (June 15-23, 2017) Because

Military officers who have been in command of field units for a long time “In very urgent cases like that of parents, there are cases where orders are issued on Sundays, but I have never seen anything other than that. From my experience, it is possible that the orders were arranged after death instead of 25 ”.Asked a question.

Lee Gyun-cheol, former leader of the US 2nd Division, where Mr. Seo served, was also “I haven’t seen a single vacation order issued on Sunday in the two years I’ve been working there,” he said. “I have not seen any soldier extend sick leave or give personal love for that reason.”He insisted.

Explanatory data on documents related to the son of Justice Minister Chu Mi-ae to the media provided by the Ministry of Defense on the 10th. [국방부 제공]

There are still many soldiers who have suspicions about military documents (the military service status of the son of the Minister of Justice) that were previously leaked through political circles. This is because the published documents only contain fragmentary interview records related to sick leave measures.

To clarify other suspicions that have already arisen, it is necessary to look more closely at the records of interviews at the time of Mr. Seo’s service, who remains in the integral solidarity administration system.

In this regard, a military official said: “Since the Yoon Il-Byeong case (April 2014), the management of the soldiers has become very strict.” “Like Mr. Seo, the influential child is a kind of concern, so the record of the interview must have been left in detail.”I pointed.

A former official who knows the situation of the KATUSA soldiers well said: “I heard that the director of the support group (Aunt Wonsa Jin), who is the author of the record of Mr. Seo’s interview, which appears in the Ministry document Defense, he is a very meticulous person. ”

As such, criticism continues to come from within and outside the military regarding the suspicion of the ‘preferential license’ of Minister Chu’s son, but the Defense Ministry still “Achieved in accordance with regulations and procedures”It just sticks to Iran’s position. In a regular briefing on the 14th, Moon Hong-sik, deputy spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, responded to the question: “Can you postpone the vacation by phone?”

Also, when asked, ‘Isn’t it a privilege to spend 19 days on sick leave to receive treatment on day 4?’, He said: regulations and procedures “. (Prosecutor’s Office) The part that will be confirmed through the investigation, “he said.

Reporters Chul-Jae Lee, Sang-jin Kim, Geun-pyeong Lee [email protected]