Promotion of Burial at National Cemetery for Firefighters and Police Officers Who Died or Were Injured in the Line of Duty Since August 12, 1949

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] The National Fire Safety Public Officials Labor Union (Chairman Hong Suntak) announced on the 11th that it will revise the supplementary provisions of the "Act on the Establishment and Operation of National Cemeteries (No. 7649, July 29, 2005)" to allow firefighters who died in the line of duty or were injured before September 1, 1994, to be interred at the National Cemetery.

Hong Suntak, Chairman of the Firefighters' Union, and Oh Younghwan, Member of the Democratic Party of Korea

Hong Suntak, chairman of the Firefighters' Union, stated, "The current National Cemetery Act allows firefighters who died or were injured in the line of duty after September 1, 1994, during activities such as fire suppression and rescue, and who received injury grades under Article 6-4 of the 'Act on the Honorable Treatment and Support of Persons of Distinguished Service to the State,' to be interred at the National Cemetery if their bereaved families wish. Meanwhile, police officers who died or were injured in the line of duty after January 1, 1982, can be interred at the National Cemetery regardless of the time of death if their families desire. This creates inconsistent criteria for interment based on the time of death or injury, despite no difference in their contributions to the nation and the public, resulting in unfair exclusion from interment eligibility," he pointed out.

Kim Taewon, senior vice chairman of the Firefighters' Union, said, "Together with Assemblyman Oh Young-hwan, a former firefighter, we plan to cooperate at the union level to continue efforts to improve the working conditions of firefighters, which are scattered across various issues."

Oh Young-hwan, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea representing Uijeongbu City, Gyeonggi Province, explained the legislative reason: "By revising the National Cemetery Act to apply retroactively to those who died after August 12, 1949, when the statuses of firefighters and police officers were first legislated, this will help create an environment that honors the dedication and sacrifice of firefighters and police officers who died in disaster and security scenes."

The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions’ National Fire Safety Public Officials Labor Union continues to carry out National Assembly projects to improve the working conditions of firefighters.

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