PM nominee explains son’s army exemption

Responding to disputes over his son’s nonperformance of military service, Prime Minister nominee Lee Nak-yon on Friday revealed his past petition to prove that he had struggled to have his son fulfill his duty.

“I even sent a petition to the Military Manpower Administration so as to have my son serve his military duty,” the prime minister’s office quoted Lee as saying.

“I never wanted my son to fail on his sacred military obligation and neither did my son.”

Lee also revealed his past petition and the MMA’s reply to it, in a move to prove his earnest efforts to comply by the military service.

“It is the hope of my child and myself that he should at least serve as public service worker, should his physical conditions fail to qualify for a fulltime military service,” he wrote in his letter.

“Should he miss out on his duty, both of us will face pain and shame throughout our lives.”

The military administration office, however, rejected his request.

“We appreciate your passion and value for the nation’s military service, but may only base our judgment on medical standards,” its reply said.

Lee’s son was excluded from the army back in 2001 due to a shoulder dislocation and a consequent surgery.

Meanwhile, the new senior presidential secretary for civil affairs Cho Kuk also explained late Thursday over the overdue tax payment by a private educational institute run by his mother.

“I apologize for my mother’s overdue tax payment and will make sure that it paid away immediately,” Cheong Wa Dae quoted Cho as saying.

By Bae Hyun-jung (tellme@heraldcorp.com)