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| Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae attends a session at the National Assembly, Tuesday./ Yonhap |
By Kim Se-jeong
Young people in Korea are growing increasingly angry over a number of scandals involving the son of Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae and the scions of other powerful figures, leading many to raise questions about the fairness in society heralded by President Moon Jae-in.
"I feel sorry for myself as Choo Mi-ae isn't my mom and Cho Kuk isn't my dad," one anonymous user posted on Naver.
"What if I don't return to the military on time after a vacation? I will probably find myself in a military prison. But, it was totally ok for Choo's son to extend his vacation over the phone. Insane!" another wrote on the web portal.
"I would say this to fellow men on active duty: please go ahead and call your unit for a vacation extension and tell them you are doing it because it was ok for Choo's son to do so," a local newspaper quoted a young citizen as saying.
While serving his military duty at the Korean Augmentation to the United States Army (KATUSA) in 2017, Seo, Choo's son, took sick leave to undergo knee surgery. He didn't return to his unit and belatedly requested to extend the leave by phone. Furthermore, some raised suspicions that Choo's personal secretary made the phone call on the son's behalf.
Choo denied the allegation, saying her personal secretary had nothing to do with the situation. Seo also argued he was able to gain the extension permit easily because of relaxed internal rules at KATUSA, but was immediately countered by the Korean military which said KATUSA members are equally subject to Korean military regulations.
In addition to claims regarding her Son's extended sick leave, Choo is also facing a separate allegation that she used her influence in 2017 to have her son assigned to an interpretation position at the PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games in 2018.
These cases followed the scandals involving former Justice Minister Cho Kuk's daughter. Cho resigned last year after allegations arose that he and his wife helped their daughter win internship opportunities, and forged documents which helped her gain admission to a medical school. The claims are still being disputed in court.
Also, earlier this year, a group of contract employees won full-time positions at the Incheon International Airport Corp which many young jobseekers claim put them at a disadvantage in search for employment.
Social and economic polarization has grown worse over the decades in Korea, which has resulted in fewer quality employment opportunities for those in the younger generations. And it is a common perception that any opportunities that do arise are taken by a privileged few with wealthy and connected parents.
Lawmakers and high-ranking government officials were found to have used their influence to secure jobs and education opportunities for their children.
Prof. Koo Jeong-woo who teaches sociology at Sungkyunkwan University said a series of recent events made young people feel a sense of deprivation. The professor added, "It's important to create an environment where hard work pays off."
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