Autumn’s daughter also suspects that she is applying for a student visa in France … The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also received a call.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Kim In-cheol is providing regular briefing on current affairs at the Foreign Ministry in Jongno-gu, Seoul, last month. [뉴시스]

The Foreign Ministry sought to find out the truth about the suspicion that Assistant to the Democratic Party Minister Choo Mi-ae as leader of the Democratic Party petitioned the Foreign Ministry to issue a student visa for his youngest daughter in August-September of 2017.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Kim In-cheol received a related inquiry in a regular briefing on the 8th and said: “It would have been easy to understand if it was an investigation through the Foreign Ministry, but not it would be like this”. “There may be employees sent to the National Assembly, matters pertaining to the Korean Embassy in France, etc. We are trying to solve it.”

It is from August to September 2017 that Mr. A, an assistant at the time of Minister Chu, complained to Mr. B, an employee sent to the National Assembly of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, saying that the date of entry to the French university is approaching of your daughter and that you must quickly obtain a student visa. Mr. A currently works as the administrator of the Blue House. It is known that Mr B explained to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs only that he gave general explanations to Mr A about the procedure for issuing a visa to France at that time.

However, a source who was smart at the time told JoongAng Ilbo that “I heard that Mr. B sent CEO Chu’s complaint to the consular department at headquarters and verified it through the French embassy in Korea and the Korean embassy in Paris. ”

A passport official said: “It was not a direct order from CEO Chu, but due to his long life as an assistant, Mr. A, who had a special relationship with his family, listened to the urgent circumstances of his youngest daughter to study abroad and could have done research independently. ” I know that I am admitted normally and I do well to college. ”

Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae. [뉴스1]

Suspecting that Minister Chu asked the Defense Ministry and the Army to extend his son’s sick leave and to serve as an interpreter for the PyeongChang Olympics, the Foreign Ministry also suspected that he was applying for a student visa for his daughter. If it is revealed that it is true that Minister Chu, who was a member of the foreign affairs committee of the National Assembly as a representative of the party, requested the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which is an audited agency, to issue a student visa for her daughter , it could be a violation of the Application Prohibition Act.

Defense attorney for Minister Chu refuted this by saying that “the issuance of a visa for (other countries) is a matter that cannot be done through an application (to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs).

Reporter Lee Yu-jung [email protected]