"Sacrifices for the Nation, We Will Uphold Them!" ... Significant Increase in Gumi City's Veterans Budget Next Year and Strengthened Honors for National Merit Recipients

Establishment of Welfare Allowance for Spouses of Deceased Veterans and Expansion of Veterans' Allowance Increase

Proactive Response to Veterans' Honors Including Significant Expansion of Gumi City's Veterans Budget in 2023.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Dongguk Lee] Gumi City will significantly strengthen its national merit veterans' welfare policies starting next year.

The city will vigorously promote the 2023 veterans' policies by significantly increasing national merit veterans' allowances, abolishing age restrictions, establishing welfare allowances for spouses of deceased veterans, constructing a veterans' hall, and operating commemorative programs.

This reflects Gumi City's firm determination to take care of our heroes, emphasizing that without the dedication and sacrifice of the heroes who protected our country, today's glory and prosperity would not be possible.

▲ Increase in national merit veterans' allowances and abolition of age restrictions for those aged 65 and over.

Since the combat honor allowance was implemented at 20,000 KRW per month in 2009, it has seen slight increases, and the veterans' welfare allowance has remained unchanged at 50,000 KRW per month since 2015. From January next year, veterans (Korean War, Vietnam War) will receive 200,000 KRW per month, an increase of 50,000 KRW from the previous 150,000 KRW, and national veterans will also receive an additional 50,000 KRW from the city budget on top of their existing monthly allowances (50,000 to 100,000 KRW).

The combat honor allowance, previously paid only to the veteran, will now include a newly established welfare allowance for the spouses of deceased veterans.

Also, the age restriction for the veterans' welfare allowance, previously only paid to those aged 65 and over, has been abolished so that all veterans can benefit.

▲ Enhanced highest honors for national merit veterans upon death.

The city has declared its commitment to providing the highest honors until the final farewell of national merit veterans.

To ensure that the last journey of national merit veterans is not lonely or humble, the city has supported the operation of a funeral honor promotion team. This team assists with all aspects of funeral honors upon the death of a national merit veteran, including the presentation of the Taegeukgi flag, a wreath in the name of the president, reading of the eulogy, flag draping ceremonies, and escorting the remains.

Additionally, since October this year, the city has provided wreaths in the mayor's name at national merit veterans' funerals, striving to honor them with the highest funeral protocol.

▲ Promotion of the long-awaited project for veterans' families: construction of an integrated Gumi City Veterans' Hall.

The current veterans' hall, built in 1989, has become outdated and cramped after 33 years, leading to a continuous call for a new building.

Accordingly, Gumi City plans to construct an 'Integrated Gumi City Veterans' Hall' that can house all veterans' organizations, and is currently working on selecting a site for the new hall.

The integrated veterans' hall will be equipped with offices and meeting rooms for each veterans' organization, as well as welfare facilities to enhance the welfare and pride of veterans' families.

Through close cooperation and communication with veterans' organizations, the city aims to complete a genuine 'Integrated Gumi City Veterans' Hall' reflecting the needs of national merit veterans, targeting completion in 2026 from site selection to construction.

▲ Veterans' commemorative programs to instill a correct historical perspective in future generations.

To pass on the lives of local independence activists to the growing future generations, a new project called the 'Independence Movement Commemoration Program' will be launched in 2023.

Targeting local elementary, middle, and high school students, the program plans to include musical performances about independence activists, tours of major historical sites, introductions to local independence activists by professional storytellers, photo exhibitions within schools, and the establishment of an e-Independence Movement Memorial Hall (an online electronic independence memorial).

The independence movement musical performance is scheduled for next year, with a drama club composed of elementary students preparing a musical about local independence activist Jang Jin-hong.

Students will handle everything from acting to lighting, sharing the stories of local independence activists directly with their peers, making it a meaningful transmission of local history from one generation to the next.

In the second half of the year, the performance will be adapted to suit middle and high school students to widely disseminate the lives of local independence activists. Concurrently, professional storytellers will visit schools to narrate the lives of local independence activists engagingly, along with photo exhibitions and major historical site programs.

Additionally, to make it easily accessible to the general public, an e-Gumi Independence Movement Hall will be established, featuring content such as comics and YouTube videos about independence activists alongside archival materials.

The Gumi City Council has also rolled up its sleeves to strengthen the welfare of national merit veterans.

At the 262nd extraordinary session, two partial amendments to ordinances reflecting the increase in national merit veterans' allowances (Ordinance on Support for Gumi City Veterans and Ordinance on Welfare and Support for National Veterans of Gumi City) were approved as originally proposed. During five-minute free speeches and the 2023 major business plan report, the council strongly urged relevant departments to enhance veterans' welfare.

Mayor Kim Jang-ho said, "Gumi City will strive to provide the highest honors to those who sacrificed for the country, and through innovation, we will evolve veterans' policies to suit the times so that even the younger generation, represented by the MZ generation, can empathize with them."

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