Ministry of National Defense: Unfair if 6·25 War Participation Not Recognized Despite Evidence but Statements Not Trusted

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chae-seok] A ruling has been made that it is unfair for the Ministry of National Defense to refuse to recognize participation in the Korean War despite clear evidence such as photos and unit personnel orders proving that a laborer and other non-military personnel participated in the war, simply because they do not trust the testimony.

On the 12th, the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission announced that it recommended corrective action to the Ministry of National Defense to recognize participation in the war before testimony if there are objective proof materials such as participation photos and unit personnel orders of Mr. A, who worked in the 103 Labor Division and Nonsan Training Center as a non-military person during the Korean War.

Mr. A informed the Ministry of National Defense in March 2017 that he worked as a non-military person during the Korean War, but his "non-military participation" was not recognized. The 103 Labor Division was a unit composed of laborers and other non-military personnel to supply materials and equipment necessary for the war.

Mr. A submitted photos taken while working in the 103 Labor Division and unit assignment and discharge orders with his name issued by the Army Headquarters to the Ministry of National Defense, but his participation was not recognized again, citing discrepancies between his testimony and the records.

The Ministry of National Defense stated that it could not believe Mr. A’s testimony that he was assigned to the Nonsan Training Center after graduating from the Army Reserve School, and that the unit personnel orders recorded that he was assigned to the 1st Supplementary Regiment in Gunsan, which differed from his statement, so they could not recognize his participation.

In response, the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission judged that it was unfair not to recognize participation without any counter-evidence even if Mr. A submitted proof of participation as claimed by the Ministry of National Defense, and recommended the Ministry to reconsider the case.

The Commission cited as grounds: ▲ the personnel order of the 103 Labor Division with Mr. A’s name (same Chinese characters) ▲ the photo verification results analyzed by the Forensic Science Research Institute recognizing the similarity between the person in the photo and Mr. A ▲ the personnel order also included the name of Mr. B, a soccer player from Pyongyang High School like Mr. A, and testimonies from Mr. A and guarantors that they played soccer together were consistent ▲ no evidence suggesting that Mr. A on the personnel order was a namesake ▲ and the "Participation Work Handling Directive" recognizes objective proof materials such as personnel orders and photos as prior to testimony for recognizing participation.

According to the Commission, the personnel order specified Mr. A’s rank, military number, and affiliation with the same Chinese characters for his name. It also included the personnel order from the commander of the 103 Labor Division stating, "Army Second Lieutenant A is transferred to the 1st Supplementary Regiment, B to the 2nd Training Center." Another personnel order stated, "Army Second Lieutenant A, 103rd Division 113th Regiment, discharged due to admission to the Air Force Academy."

The Ministry of National Defense’s department in charge of non-military participation work requested the Ministry’s Forensic Science Research Institute to appraise Mr. A’s photos in June last year, and it was revealed that the institute opined that the person in the photos taken at the unit and the photos by age were judged to be similar individuals. Nevertheless, the Ministry did not accept this, saying the institute only said the persons looked similar, not that they were the same person.

Even after interviewing Mr. A and his guarantors, it was confirmed that he entered the Army Reserve Officers’ School together with Mr. B, who played soccer at Pyongyang High School during the height of the Korean War in 1951.

The Commission confirmed that after graduation, Mr. A was selected by the Nonsan Training Center commander as a representative of the soccer team and played matches while traveling around provinces. They also heard consistent testimonies that he was assigned to Yanggu as part of the 103 Labor Division, performing duties such as transporting ammunition and supplies and installing facilities.

The Commission also reported that Mr. A was confirmed as a living witness of Korean soccer history, having served as a coach of Korea University soccer team, Korea Development Bank soccer team, the first coach of Daewoo Yukong professional soccer team, president of the Korea Football Association, president of the Korea Industrial Soccer Association, vice president of the Korea Professional Football League, and a member of the World Cup Organizing Committee.

They also received advice from the Military History Research Institute under the Ministry of National Defense. The institute told the Commission, "The 103 Labor Division was established to support regular troops by supplying war materials and facilities, and graduates of the Reserve Officers’ School were not regular troops, so they were assigned to the 103 Labor Division, and typically no military service records exist." They added, "Nevertheless, the personnel order with Mr. A’s name is a decisive clue to confirming participation."

Gwon Geun-sang, Director of the Grievance Handling Bureau at the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, said, "It is fortunate that the fact that Mr. A participated as an irregular soldier during the Korean War was belatedly confirmed through the Commission’s investigation," and added, "The government must carefully review so that there is no injustice where those who devoted themselves to the country are not recognized for their participation."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.