Veteran Beneficiaries' Child An Criticizes Mrs. Kim, Veterans Affairs Director Says "Veterans Affairs Is Not a Tool for Factional Struggles"

"Please Refrain from Saying Things That Hurt the Families of Meritorious Persons"

Director Park Min-sik of the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs personally responded to claims that First Lady Kim Geon-hee forcibly hugged and took photos with the children of fallen heroes, emphasizing, "She should actually hug them more," and stressing, "Patriotic affairs should never be used as a tool for factional conflicts."

On the 16th, Director Park posted on his Facebook, saying, "While we may not be able to offer comfort and thanks to those who sacrificed for us, please do not leave indelible wounds on their families," and appealed, "I earnestly ask this not as the Director of the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, but as the son of a national merit recipient."

Earlier, on the 13th, First Lady Kim visited the home of the late Police Officer Yu Jae-guk, a participant in the Ministry’s 'Heroes Family Program' which supports children of fallen and deceased military and police personnel, and hugged Officer Yu’s child who has a disability. When photos of the First Lady holding the child were released, some netizens criticized her, claiming she forcibly hugged the child.

On the 13th, First Lady Kim Keon-hee visited the family of the late Officer Yoo Jae-guk and embraced his children.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

In response, Director Park stated, "Lee Hyun-yi (Officer Yu’s son) developed his disability amid the shock of his father’s sudden death, which makes my heart ache even more, and naturally makes me want to care for him more," adding, "If it can bring even a little joy to Hyun-yi, I should hug him a thousand times and meet his gaze ten thousand times."

Director Park also revealed that he himself was a 'beneficiary of support' who lost his soldier father at the age of seven, saying, "If someone had patted my back and offered words of comfort often during my childhood, I probably would have had greater pride," and explained, "The Heroes Family Program started from a vow to ensure that our children never experience the pain I deeply felt as a member of a patriotic family."

He continued, "Patriotic affairs must never become tools for factional fights or political strife," and urged, "Please seriously accept that protecting national merit recipients and their families and being a true shield for them is a responsibility given to all citizens of the Republic of Korea."

Meanwhile, Mrs. Lee Kkot-nim, wife of Officer Yu, also directly addressed the misunderstood story behind the 'photo with the First Lady' in an interview with JoongAng Ilbo and other media on the 16th. She explained, "The child has spastic cerebral palsy, which makes his body stiff," and said, "The First Lady tried her best to imitate how I hold the child and hugged him." Previously, some netizens left malicious comments on the photo of the First Lady holding the child, saying things like "The child is struggling" and "Using a disabled person to shoot a photo spread."

Mrs. Lee also expressed gratitude, saying, "I was thankful that the First Lady hugged the child," and clarified that the photo shoot was not pre-planned. She emphasized, "People seem to pick faults without seeing the essence," and added, "The atmosphere at the scene was different from some of the malicious comments," reportedly becoming emotional during the interview.

Officer Yu, who was a water rescue worker with the Hangang Police Unit, died in the line of duty in February 2020 while diving to search for a person who had jumped into the Han River near Gayang Bridge. Mrs. Lee, who was four months pregnant at the time, gave birth prematurely two months later.

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