Choo Mi-ae’s Son Returns to Korea; Probe into Alleged Favoritism in Military Leave Resumes After More Than Two Years

[Financial News] An investigation into allegations of preferential treatment in the military service of Gyeonggi Province Governor Choo Mi-ae’s son has resumed after more than two years. After Choo’s son, whose prosecution had been suspended because he was abroad, recently returned to Korea, the Seoul Eastern District Indictment Office began reviewing the case again.
According to legal sources on the 10th, the Seoul Eastern District Indictment Office confirmed that Choo’s son, identified by the surname Seo, returned to Korea last week and reopened the case, which had been under suspension of prosecution. This comes about two years and two months after the investigation was halted in September 2024 because Mr. Seo was abroad.
An official at the Seoul Eastern District Indictment Office said, “We confirmed that Mr. Seo had returned to Korea and reopened the case last week.” Reopening a case means resuming investigative procedures in a case that was suspended, for example, following a suspension of prosecution.
The resumption of the investigation is also tied to the adjustment of investigative powers following the abolition of the Prosecution Service. Although prosecutors’ direct investigative authority ended when the Prosecution Service was abolished on the 2nd of last month, transitional provisions for existing cases were included in the amended Criminal Procedure Act of the Republic of Korea and the Indictment Agency Act. They allow prosecutors to investigate for up to 90 days, but only in cases where the statute of limitations is nearing expiration or continued investigation is unavoidable.
The Eastern Indictment Office is understood to have resumed its investigation into Mr. Seo’s case under those transitional provisions.
The case arose in 2019, when allegations of preferential treatment concerning Mr. Seo’s use of leave during his military service were raised. At the time, the Liberty Korea Party (now the People Power Party) alleged that Mr. Seo had received preferential treatment when his sick leave was extended through an aide to Choo while he was serving in the military.
Choo categorically denied the allegations, but after a complaint was filed, the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors’ Office launched a direct investigation.
In September 2020, the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors’ Office decided not to prosecute Mr. Seo or Choo. It concluded that there was insufficient basis to find that deception or external pressure had been involved in applying for and taking military leave.
However, after the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office ordered a reinvestigation in 2022, the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors’ Office began reviewing the case again. The investigation was halted once more after Mr. Seo left the country.
Meanwhile, in September 2024, the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors’ Office suspended prosecution of Mr. Seo and asked immigration authorities to notify them if he entered the country and to bar him from leaving the country.
[email protected] Lee Dong-hyeok Reporter