Lee Chae-ik "Ministry of National Defense, Conscious of Favoritism Controversy, Interred Baek Seon-yeop at Daejeon National Cemetery"

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] Rep. Lee Chae-ik of the United Future Party revealed on the 28th that the Ministry of National Defense did not proceed with the burial of the late General Baek Seon-yeop at Seoul National Cemetery due to concerns over preferential treatment controversies.

According to materials submitted to Rep. Lee by the Ministry of National Defense, from the end of May when General Baek's condition worsened, the Ministry requested the Seoul National Cemetery to check if additional space could be created.

At that time, the Ministry reported to Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo on the 4th of last month that "the area above President Kim Young-sam's grave is a cut slope and thus impossible, and although there is space at the innermost part of General 2 Cemetery, it is connected to the cut slope, raising concerns about damage during the rainy season." However, an internal document reported by Seoul National Cemetery to the Ministry on the same day contained concerns that creating General Baek's burial site in the remaining space of General 2 Cemetery would "cause strong opposition from bereaved families already buried in the existing Chung-hon Hall and Daejeon National Cemetery, as well as social equity issues and concerns over preferential treatment controversies."

Rep. Lee emphasized, "Ultimately, burial was possible in the remaining space inside General 2 Cemetery at Seoul National Cemetery, but the Ministry of National Defense, conscious of equity and preferential treatment controversies, did not create the site and instead claimed it was impossible due to lack of space to avoid external criticism of neglecting the general." He added, "Upon personally visiting General 2 Cemetery at Seoul National Cemetery, I confirmed that General Baek could have been buried immediately without any additional construction."

Regarding General Baek's funeral being conducted as an Army funeral, Rep. Lee stated, "The Ministry of National Defense claimed that the bereaved family requested it, but the family later learned that there is a higher honor called the National Military Funeral, despite the controversy over the state funeral." He pointed out, "According to the National Funeral Act and the National Military Funeral implementation guidelines, those who have made remarkable achievements during military service can be honored with a National Military Funeral decided by the Minister of National Defense, but the Ministry did not even consider this option."

He criticized, "The bereaved family did not know about the National Military Funeral during General Baek's lifetime and thus requested an Army funeral, but if they had known about the National Military Funeral, they would have naturally hoped for it." He added, "The Ministry of National Defense should have taken the lead in honoring General Baek, who is revered as the Father of the Armed Forces, but instead led the neglect."

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