Gyeonggi Province Gov. Choo Mi-ae [Newsis]
Gyeonggi Province Gov. Choo Mi-ae [Newsis]

Prosecutors have imposed a travel ban on the son of Gyeonggi Province Gov. Choo Mi-ae as part of a reinvestigation into allegations that he received preferential treatment during his military service.

According to JTBC, the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Office confirmed that Choo's son, identified only as A, had recently returned to South Korea, placed him under a travel ban and reopened the case, which had been suspended pending indictment.

The move followed a standing request made by prosecutors in 2023 to be notified upon the suspect's return and to impose a travel ban at that time.

The allegations date to 2019, when the People Power Party — then in opposition — claimed A had received special treatment while serving in the military.

At the center of the controversy was A's use of medical leave for surgery during his service, with critics alleging he was allowed to extend part of that leave without prior approval.

When the allegations surfaced, Choo, who was then a nominee for justice minister, denied any wrongdoing, saying she had "no reason to exert outside pressure and did not do so."

The Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Office, which had received a complaint and investigated the matter, declined to indict in September 2020, concluding it was "difficult to find evidence of coercion or outside pressure" in the process of applying for and using sick and other leave, and that "intent to desert military duty could not be established."

The PPP appealed, but the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office rejected the appeal in June 2022 after a review of one and a half years, finding "no grounds to change the disposition."

After Yoon Suk Yeol took office in 2022, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office ordered a reinvestigation into the case that November, and the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Office reopened its inquiry.

The case was suspended, however, after A left the country in 2023 before the investigation could be concluded.

Prosecutors at the time had requested both a notification upon A's return and a travel ban. The prosecutors' office that inherited the case confirmed those measures were in place and resumed the investigation after A recently returned to the country.

The prosecutors' office is expected to reach a disposition on the case before the end of the year, within the current investigation grace period.


husn7@heraldcorp.com