On the 1st, Park Jeong-hoon, a lawmaker from the People Power Party and a member of the Science. ICT. Broadcasting. and Communications Committee, raised allegations that Bae Gyeong-hun, the candidate for Minister of Science and ICT, did not fulfill his military duties diligently. In response, Bae argued, "I believe I served faithfully."
According to the personnel hearing request form released by lawmaker Park, Bae served as a research specialist at Samsung Thales (now Hanwha System) from 2003 to 2008. However, during the same period, he also completed a Master of Business Administration (MBA) at the University of Southern California and a graduate program at Stanford University.
Lawmaker Park noted, "The research specialist system is designed to nurture high-level researchers by linking research and military service, but all the programs Bae completed were centered on management and administration, unrelated to scientific research," adding, "This does not align with the original purpose of the research specialist system."
He continued, "Compared to the many young individuals who completed their military service faithfully, there will inevitably be a significant controversy over fairness from the public's perspective and a relative sense of deprivation," emphasizing, "He must transparently clarify the facts before the public and provide a responsible explanation."
In response, Bae stated while arriving at the personnel hearing preparation office on the same day, "I believe I fulfilled my military duties as a specialized research personnel. I can provide more detailed information about it during the hearing."