Yang Hyangja: "May 18 Victims to Be Reclassified from 'Killed in Action' to 'Died in the Line of Duty'"

[Asia Economy, Honam News Bureau, Reporter Yoon Jamin] The efforts of National Assembly member Yang Hyangja (Democratic Party of Korea, Gwangju Seo-gu Eul) to "set the historical record straight" are bearing fruit.

On December 22, the Ministry of National Defense announced that it would reclassify 22 deceased martial law troops from the time of the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement, changing their status from "killed in action" to "died in the line of duty."

Additionally, all instances of the term "rioter" found in internal military documents are set to be deleted.

On December 18, the Ministry of National Defense's Military Service Casualty Review Committee deliberated and approved these measures.

Originally, the military had classified 18 soldiers who died from "gunfire by rioters," one who died from "a rioter's knife," and three who died from friendly fire as "killed in action." However, following this review, the term "rioter" will be removed, and the previously distorted causes of death for each individual will be corrected.

Specifically, the revised classifications are as follows: 13 deaths from friendly fire among martial law troops, 5 deaths during clashes with civilians, 2 deaths caused by vehicles, 1 death from gunfire of unknown origin, and 1 death from unknown causes.

Representative Yang has consistently argued that the Ministry of National Defense, together with the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, the National Human Rights Commission, and the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, should address this issue at an inter-ministerial level.

Yang stated, "The May 18 Democratization Movement was not a war against an enemy, so even the martial law troops should be classified as having died in the line of duty, not as killed in action." She also pointed out, "All instances of the term 'rioter' in internal military records must be deleted or corrected."

She further emphasized, "At the time, police officers who died under similar circumstances were classified as having died in the line of duty, but martial law troops are still recorded as 'killed in action during anti-infiltration operations,' and their tombstones at the National Cemetery state that they were killed in action in Gwangju." She added, "I will continue efforts to correct the distorted history and reveal the truth."

Meanwhile, a total of 23 martial law troops died in Gwangju during the May 18 Democratization Movement, and one of them had already been classified as having died in the line of duty. With this measure, the remaining 22 soldiers previously listed as killed in action will all be reclassified as "Type 2 death in the line of duty."

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