14 Years After Human Rights Commission Recommendation... Ministry of National Defense Awards Merit Payment to Kello Unit Members

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] A merit payment of 10 million KRW per person will be provided to irregular forces such as the 'KLO Unit' (KLO) that were active during the Korean War and their bereaved families. The number of merit payment recipients is expected to reach about 18,000.

On the 14th, the Ministry of National Defense announced that it will implement a special law to restore the honor of irregular forces who were not recognized for their contributions because they were either foreign military personnel or civilians rather than regular troops among the Korean War casualties.

Irregular forces refer to individuals belonging to organizations or units that conducted guerrilla warfare and intelligence gathering by infiltrating enemy territory from August 15, 1948, to July 27, 1953.

The KLO Unit, meaning Korea Liaison Office, was a North Korean infiltration intelligence unit organized by the U.S. Far East Command on June 1, 1949, mainly composed of people from North Korean regions. It carried out numerous secret missions during the Korean War in connection with the U.S. 8240 Unit. In addition, organizations recognized by the Irregular Forces Compensation Review Committee as having conducted irregular warfare include the U.S. 8240 Unit, the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) intelligence unit (Yeongdo Guerrilla Unit), and the U.S. Far East Air Force Command intelligence unit (Unit 6004).

The National Human Rights Commission recommended in 2007 that the Speaker of the National Assembly and the Minister of National Defense amend the Special Compensation Act for Special Mission Performers or enact separate legislation so that KLO Unit members could also receive compensation from the Korean government. It has been 14 years since the recommendation was made until this implementation.

Merit recipients themselves or their bereaved families can visit the Ministry of National Defense's Irregular Forces Compensation Review Committee or submit applications by mail. After the committee's review, the merit payment will be decided.

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