| Choo Mi-ae | |
|---|---|
추미애 | |
 Choo Mi-ae in 2020 | |
| Minister of Justice | |
| In office 2 January 2020 – 27 January 2021 | |
| President | Moon Jae-in |
| Prime Minister | Lee Nak-yeon Chung Sye-kyun |
| Preceded by | Cho Kuk |
| Succeeded by | Park Beom-kye |
| Leader of the Democratic Party | |
| In office 27 August 2016 – 25 August 2018 | |
| Preceded by | Kim Chong-in (Interim) |
| Succeeded by | Lee Hae-chan |
| Member of the National Assembly | |
| In office 30 May 2008 – 29 May 2020 | |
| Succeeded by | Ko Min-jung |
| Constituency | Gwangjin B (Seoul) |
| In office 30 May 1996 – 29 May 2004 | |
| Constituency | Gwangjin B (Seoul) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 23 October 1958 Daegu, South Korea |
| Nationality | South Korean |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Alma mater | Hanyang University Yonsei University |
| Website | www.choomiae.com |
| Choo Mi-ae | |
| Hangul | 추미애 |
|---|---|
| Hanja | 秋美愛 |
| Revised Romanization | Chu Miae |
| McCune–Reischauer | Ch'u Miae |
Choo Mi-ae (Korean: 추미애; Hanja: 秋美愛; born 23 October 1958) is a South Korean politician served as the Minister of Justice as well as five-term parliamentarian of Democratic Party. She is the first woman to hold the post after Kang Kum-sil who was appointed by then-president Roh, a political mentor of the incumbent Moon Jae-in.
She is also one of handful female parliamentarians who have served five or more terms at the National Assembly and the first to do so without ever being elected through proportional representation. In 1996 she became the first woman to represent a constituency in Seoul since the Constitution was last revised as well as the first female ex-judge to be elected as a parliamentarian. She has represented the same constituency since then except for four years between 2004 and 2008.
Choo unsuccessfully ran for the leadership of her party twice in 2003 and 2008. In 2016, she became the leader of Democratic Party. In 2018 she became the first leader of her party to complete its fixed term of two years. When then-candidate Moon got elected as the President of South Korea during her term, she became the first woman to be the leader of a ruling party. Additionally, she was also the first female leader of her party and its first leader raised in TK region.
She is a Buddhist.
Political career[edit]
Entry into politics[edit]
Before her involvement in politics, Choo served as a district court judge for 12 years. She left her position in protest of government pressure to bring judgements against pro-democracy activists, and joined the opposition National Congress for New Politics.[1] She entered the National Assembly in the 1996 elections as a member of the National Congress. She crossed regional barriers by being elected as a liberal despite originally hailing from the conservative stronghold of Daegu,[1] and also became the first female member of the National Assembly to have served as a judge—followed by Na Kyung-won in 2004.[2]
1999 Jeju Uprising inquiry[edit]
Choo became notable early in her career as an assemblywoman for being one of the first national politicians to draw public attention to the events of the 1948 Jeju Uprising.[3] She participated in a memorial service for the uprising in 1998, and chaired the first public inquiry into the events the next year.[4] During the debate, Choo released a 200-page dossier listing 1,650 people who had been court-martialed for assisting the "communist rebellion" in Jeju. Her release of the papers marked the first time any official government document on the uprising had been released to the general public.[3]
Party leadership contests and 2004 election campaign[edit]
Having served in the assembly for seven years, Choo ran for chairman of the Millennium Democratic Party in 2003, coming in second place behind Chough Soon-hyung.[5] She came into conflict with Chough in the succeeding months in the crisis over the impeachment of President Roh Moo-hyun, with Choo urging Chough to step down over the events.[6] After originally rejecting the role,[7] she was appointed head of the party's election campaign committee less than three weeks before the 2004 parliamentary election.[8] Her fight against regionalism in the party and her management of the party's campaign for the 2004 election during the impeachment crisis earned her the nickname "Choo d'Arc", comparing her to Joan of Arc.[9][10] She lost her seat in the election.[11]
After her re-election to the Assembly in 2008, Choo stood again for the leadership of the United Democratic Party at the party convention on 6 July 2008.[11] She pushed to broaden and deregionalize the party, and enjoyed broad public support,[11] but ultimately placed second behind Chung Sye-kyun.[12]
Foreign affairs[edit]
Choo has served as a member of the Assembly's Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, and in 2003, she was appointed special envoy to the United States on the North Korean nuclear crisis.[13] Choo visited the United Kingdom in November 2010, giving lectures at Chatham House and the University of Cambridge on future policy in the Korean Peninsula.[13][14]
Election History[edit]
| Election | Year | Constituency | Party Affiliation | Votes | Percentage of votes | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15th National Assembly General Election | 1996 | Seoul Gwangjin B | National Congress for New Politics | 36,570 | 43.77% | Won |
| 16th National Assembly General Election | 2000 | Seoul Gwangjin B | Democratic Party (2000) | 42,787 | 57.35% | Won |
| 17th National Assembly General Election | 2004 | Seoul Gwangjin B | Democratic Party (2000) | 26,973 | 30.08% | Lost |
| 18th National Assembly General Election | 2008 | Seoul Gwangjin B | Democratic Party (2008) | 34,854 | 51.29% | Won |
| 19th National Assembly General Election | 2012 | Seoul Gwangjin B | Democratic United Party | 45,980 | 55.19% | Won |
| 20th National Assembly General Election | 2016 | Seoul Gwangjin B | Democratic Party of Korea | 43,980 | 48.53% | Won |
Controversies[edit]
Choo's son is accused of receiving favors during his military service.[15]
Choo has been criticized for her controversial step of not fully disclosing indictments against President Moon Jae-In's allies, of which she is one.[16] Prosecutors have also criticized her broader proposed restructuring of prosecutors' offices.[17]
See also[edit]
- Jeju 4.3 Committee
References[edit]
- ^ a b "Politics & Power: South Korea". Asiaweek. 5 November 1999. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
- ^ "Ruling party lawmaker tries to shake off 'elitist' image". The Korea Herald. 4 October 2004. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
[Na] thus became the second female judge-turned-lawmaker, following the steps of Rep. Choo Mi-ae ...
- ^ a b Kim, Hunjoon (2009). "Seeking Truth after 50 Years: The National Committee for Investigation of the Truth about the Jeju 4.3 Events". The International Journal of Transitional Justice. 3 (3): 418. doi:10.1093/ijtj/ijp014. hdl:10072/34402.
- ^ Kim, Hunjoon (2008). Expansion of Transitional Justice Measures: A Comparative Analysis of Its Causes (Ph.D.). University of Minnesota. p. 248.
- ^ "Key S Korean political party elects new leader". Taipei Times. 30 November 2003. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
- ^ "MDP Chough, Choo Fail to Narrow Differences". KBS World Radio. 26 March 2004. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
- ^ "Choo rejects MDP campaign role". Korea JoongAng Daily. 23 March 2004. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
- ^ Scofield, David (31 March 2004). "The dawning of pluralism in South Korea". Asia Times Online. Archived from the original on 7 April 2004. Retrieved 18 April 2016.CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
- ^ "Sunshine Policy should remain intact to secure peace: Rep. Choo Mi-ae". The Korea Times. 6 December 2010. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
- ^ "Glass ceiling outlasts Madam President". The Korea Herald. 22 February 2013. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
- ^ a b c "Opposition Leadership Race Taking Shape". The Korea Times. 4 May 2008. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
- ^ Lansford, Tom, ed. (2014). "Republic of Korea". Political Handbook of the World 2014. CQ Press. p. 779.
- ^ a b "Leading female politician to deliver Ra Jong-Yil Lecture". University of Cambridge. 5 November 2010. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
- ^ "Finding the Legacy and a Vision for Modern Politics in the Korean Peninsula". Chatham House. 4 November 2010. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
- ^ "Alleged special favor for Choo's son revealed". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2020-02-17.
- ^ "Justice minister defends decision to block indictment disclosure". koreatimes. 2020-02-11. Retrieved 2020-02-17.
- ^ "Prosecutor General lashes out at Choo over proposal". koreatimes. 2020-02-16. Retrieved 2020-02-17.
