Politician Charged with Son's Suspicious Exemption from Military Service

Kim Tae-ho, candidate for the Grand National Party(GNP) and present congressional incumbent for Ulsan, is under suspicion for arranging his son's exemption from military service.

Government officials and the Prosecutors office summoned Kim to appear March 5 at either the Seoul Prosecutors office by 10 am or the Ulsan Prosecutors office by 5 pm, but failed to appear. This is the first summons to be given to the 27 politicians suspected of illegally arranging their sons' exemption form mandatory military service.

In 1996, Kim is alleged to have asked a medical examiner at the Military Manpower Administration(MMA) to dismiss his son, Young-rok, from serving in the military under the pretext of his 'extreme shortsightedness'. The examiner was put under arrest on March 7 awaiting ruling on the matter. Kim's aides have countered that Young-rok was exempted from military service because of extreme shortsightedness of his left eye."There was nothing illegal in this." Also as to why Kim didn't appear at either Prosecutors Office, it was explained that Kim could not appear at the prosecutors office for a while "due to the election campaigns." Kim's son Young-rok is currently in the U.S. working and is expected to return here in the near future.

Before the scandal struck, Kim had been a successful congressman serving through three different governments as well as being the governor of Kyonggi Province and government minister for the Home Affairs office.

by Kim Sang-woo