‘I never called → I didn’t’ Aki, who changed words, went to an assistant?

Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae answers questions about the government in the political field that were held in the main hall of the National Assembly on the afternoon of the 14th. Reporter Oh Jong-taek

“I’ll tell you clearly again, ‘I didn’t tell the assistant to call me.’

Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae answered Representative Park Hyung-soo’s question, “No.” In a question about the government of the National Assembly on the 14th, “the assistant minister asked if there was a call to the unit (son, Mr. Seomo).

Minister Chu said at the preliminary special committee on day 1: “Isn’t it true that the attendant at that time made a phone call?” “There is no such fact.” It was the same question, but the nuances of the answer changed in the meantime. Changed from “No facts (of calls)” to “No facts have been counted to make a call.”

Perhaps that is why Congressman Park asked again, “My question is, ‘Is it true that the aide called your son’s unit?'” Minister Chu replied, “I don’t know.”

When Congressman Park asked this time, “Did you ask the aide to call the unit at that time?” Minister Chu said, “I don’t want to confirm that, because I can’t intervene in the investigation.”

On the 15th, the legal profession handed over legal responsibility to Minister Chu’s response assistant the day before, and evaluated it as a high-level strategy to avoid. A lawyer from Seocho-dong said, “If the attendant made a call and if Minister Chu did not know, it would be difficult to legally take responsibility for Chu,” he said. “He’s trying to cut off an assistant’s tail.”

The ruling party, which is working to ‘save Chu Mi-ae’, also emphasizes the ‘adviser responsibility theory’. Furthermore, Kim Jong-min, the top member of the Democratic Party, said in a radio interview that day: “(Seo) may have asked an aide in the process of confiding his concerns to him or the aide asked questions. about regulations “. He said: “I have been a brother and a younger brother since the election campaign.”

By the way, some media reported on the 12th that the assistant at the time of the investigation of the summons from the Dongbu District Prosecutor’s Office stated that “I called the military unit at the request of Mr. Seo.” It is interpreted in the sense that there was no direction or participation of the Minister. The attendee is reported to have stated: “It is true that I have called at least three times, but I have never asked.”

Prosecutors investigating suspected military vacation, Justice Minister Chu Mi-ae’s son are entering the Defense Ministry Annex after completing a search and seizure at the Ministry of Defense General Civil Service Office in Yongsan -gu, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 15th.[뉴스1]

It is expected that the relevance of Minister Chu will be revealed, both inside and outside the prosecution, depending on the willingness of the investigation team to investigate. A prosecution official said: “If ‘Minister Chu did not know,’ minimal effort would be required to search for evidence of intervention. If the assistant admitted the call, we confiscated and searched the assistant’s mobile phone to make a call with an officer. military, It is normal to first check the content of the call “.

Another executive pointed out that “if the investigation is concluded only by relying on the assistant’s words that it was a simple coin, no one will be able to trust the results. If this is the case, the claims of further investigations through special teams will not disappear. investigation”.

It is the judgment of the legal community that if the investigation by the prosecution reveals that Minister Chu’s intervention is true, he can be charged with the crime of abuse of authority and violation of the law prohibiting applications. A public prosecutor anton said: “If you look at the precedents related to the abuse of authority after the Gukjeong Nongdan incident, you see a wide range of duties for the members of the National Assembly,” he said. “Also, since the nature of pursuing personal interests in relation to the child is great, we can consider the abuse of authority.” A lawyer for the head of the branch also noted: “As Chu was the representative of the ruling party at the time, he was in a position to influence the Ministry of National Defense through the Defense Committee of the National Assembly.” If it is confirmed that you have made an illegal request in connection with military leave, you may be fined 30 million won or less under the Kim Young-ran Act.

Reporters Kang Kwang-woo and Jung Yu-jin [email protected]