Prosecutors have decided not to indict Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae over allegations of power abuse involving her son, putting an end to an eight-month-long investigation into the case and possibly a partisan impasse over the issue. 

The Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors’ Office announced on Monday that it dropped charges related to preferential treatment filed against four people, including Choo and her son. The other suspects in the case were a former secretary for the minister and a senior military officer who oversaw the unit the minister’s son belonged to. 

While serving in the Korean Augmentation to the United States Army(KATUSA) in 2017, the minister’s son, identified only by his surname Seo, was suspected of failing to return to his base and belatedly received approval for an extra four vacation days following knee surgery.

It was also suspected that the alleged breach was covered up after the ex-secretary to his mother, who was then-chair of the ruling Democratic Party(DP), inquired with the military about the extra vacation days.

Prosecutors said it was difficult to judge whether Seo’s extended leave entailed intervention by his mother and illegal authorization processes. Prosecutors also concluded that neither the minister nor her husband contacted the Defense Ministry to ask for favors for their son.