“Also Given to the Spouse” … Changwon City Provides Veterans' Honor Allowance to Spouses After Vietnam War Veterans' Deaths

From June this year, over 570 people receive 50,000 KRW monthly

No deadline, applications accepted year-round at Eup, Myeon, and Dong offices

Changwon City, Gyeongnam Province, will begin providing a monthly veterans' honor allowance to the spouses of deceased Vietnam War veterans starting June of this year.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Seryeong] Changwon City, Gyeongnam Province, will also provide a monthly honorary veterans' allowance of 50,000 KRW starting this month to the spouses of deceased Vietnam War veterans.

A city official explained, "Until now, veterans of the Korean War and Vietnam War did not have their veteran status legally inherited by their surviving family members, unlike other national veterans' families. After the veteran's death, the spouse did not receive any allowance, and the deaths of elderly veterans have been increasing."

To honor the veterans and support their families, the city amended the Ordinance on the Treatment and Support of National Veterans in Changwon City last April, establishing a provision to pay honorary veterans' allowances to the spouses of deceased Vietnam War veterans.

Subsequently, with the cooperation of the Gyeongnam Eastern Veterans Office, the city secured a list of 1,040 deceased Vietnam War veterans registered in Changwon, and sent allowance application notices by mail to 600 spouses currently residing in the area.

The city has been accepting preliminary applications through the Eup/Myeon/Dong Administrative Welfare Centers since May, and currently about 570 applications have been received.

According to the city, the number of honorary veterans' allowance recipients in Changwon this year increased from the previous 4,969 to a total of 5,539, including the spouses of veterans.

Applications for the honorary veterans' allowance can be submitted year-round without a deadline at the Eup/Myeon/Dong Administrative Welfare Centers of the applicant's residence, and after qualification verification, the allowance is granted from the month of application.

Since 2018, Changwon City has been providing honorary veterans' allowances starting with the families of soldiers who died in the line of duty, wounded soldiers, and special mission veterans. In 2019, the scope expanded to include wounded soldiers, victims of Agent Orange, and families of independence patriots.

In 2021, the spouses of deceased Korean War veterans were added, and in June this year, the spouses of deceased Vietnam War veterans were included, further expanding the eligible recipients.

Lee Sunhee, Director of the Welfare, Women, and Health Bureau, stated, "We will continue to strive to honor the veterans who dedicated themselves to the nation and to improve the welfare of their bereaved families."

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