Park defends son’s military exemption

Seoul mayor’s son agrees to disclose medical records; Park threatens suit


Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon is fighting back against the military draft-dodging scandal surrounding his son, raised by independent lawmaker Kang Yong-seok.

His son has agreed to disclose his medical records, while Park has threatened to sue those who spread the rumors, hoping to dampen mounting suspicions that the medical records were fabricated in so that his son could dodge the mandatory draft.

On Monday night, the Seoul Metropolitan Government held a press conference and said Park Ju-sin, Park’s son, visited the Military Manpower Administration that morning and requested the disclosure of his medical records, including magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computerized tomography (CT) films. The department in charge of conscription said the data will be made public within 10 days. 

An alleged MRI scan film of Park Ju-sin (Courtesy of Kang Yong-seok)

The Parks’ moves came about a week after Kang posted an MRI scan film on his blog, claiming it to be the junior Park’s. He also said that Ju-sin seems to have submitted another person’s medical records to the MMA in order to evade his military responsibility.

Ju-sin, 27, joined the Air Force last August but was sent home four days later when he suffered extreme pain in his thighs.

After his father won the Oct. 26 mayoral by-elections, he submitted the MRI film he had taken at a local hospital to the MMA, which conducted a second checkup with a CT scan.

Based on the films, a diagnosis of a herniated disc was confirmed and the younger Park was exempted from the military. He was sent to perform an alternative service at a public organization.

Kang’s allegations date back to early this year when he posted video images and photos showing the junior Park using staircases and bending his back, hardly seen as a herniated disc patient. But his claims were considered apocryphal.

The reverse of public atmosphere emerged after the release of the image on Feb 14, when medical experts showed interest.

Kang cited a neurosurgeon’s analysis that the person in the image has 35-45 millimeters of subcutaneous fat, enough to be diagnosed as extremely obese.

“But Park looks no heavier than 70 kilograms,” Kang said.

Dr. Han Seok-joo of the Severance Hospital on Sunday urged the Board of Audit and Inspection to investigate the scandal. Han, a noted pediatrician, wrote on the board website that the film Kang disclosed is convincing.

“Judging from subcutaneous fat in the film, the person should be overweight. I am almost certain that the film is someone else’s data,” he said.

Once the MMA records are disclosed, the authenticity of the MRI picture could be verified, observers said. Park could also have to have another MRI for further confirmation.

The mayor, who at first dismissed Kang’s claims as “unworthy of response,” on Monday said he will take legal action against those who have accused his son, directly targeting Kang, who had previously boasted that he would file a complaint against Park Won-soon and his son.

“Nothing about our further moves have been decided,” one of Kang’s aides said.

Kang once again said that should Park’s son be verified as a real herniated disc patient, deserving to be exempt from the draft, he would resign from his post. He suggested another 130 MRI films that he alleges to belong to Park Ju-sin.

“I hope Park Ju-sin would just show the MRI images that he has right away. We don’t need 10 days for verification,” he wrote on his blog.

By Bae Ji-sook (baejisook@heraldcorp.com)