Establishment of the Veterans Policy Development Institute under the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs

Minister Park Min-sik at Press Briefing: "Planned Establishment in Suwon, Gyeonggi-do"

The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs plans to establish an independent institution called the 'Patriotic Policy Development Institute' to research veterans' policies. The institute is scheduled to be established in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, and will conduct policy research and develop related content projects to promote veterans' culture.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 15th, Park Min-sik, Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, held a meeting with the press corps to mark the launch of the ministry, stating, "A ministry should naturally have a research institute for policy development and legislative drafting. This matter has been almost finalized in consultation with related departments, and there is no disagreement between the ruling and opposition parties in the National Assembly, so we expect to lay the foundation within this year."

He also revealed a vision to transform the National Seoul Memorial Cemetery, which was transferred under the jurisdiction from the Ministry of National Defense, into a site similar to the Arlington National Cemetery in the United States. To this end, the ministry has formed the 'Seoul Memorial Cemetery Re-creation Advisory Committee' composed of experts in architecture, landscaping, urban planning, ecology, and transportation. By the end of this month, the committee plans to hold meetings and conduct a public opinion survey to establish the 'Basic Plan for the Re-creation of the Memorial Cemetery (draft).'

Minister Park said, "It was as if tens of thousands of pyeong of land in the expensive heart of Seoul had been neglected for 364 days a year except for Memorial Day." He added, "We will make the Memorial Cemetery a 'hot place' that foreign tourists and our young people must visit."

He continued, "I have had rough discussions with the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Mayor of Seoul," and said, "We are considering the concept of creating a 'Patriotic Belt' connecting Admiral Yi Sun-sin and King Sejong in Gwanghwamun, Baekbeom Kim Gu and An Jung-geun in Namsan, the Presidential Office in Yongsan, and the Memorial Cemetery."

Regarding the issue of independence activists with pro-Japanese controversies, he emphasized, "It damages the national spirit," and stressed, "Not a single fake independence activist will be tolerated."

Minister Park mentioned, "A few years ago, a law was passed in the National Assembly to conduct a full investigation of the merits of independence activists, but the work has been slow, and only about 25 to 30% has been investigated." He added, "There seem to be cases among independence activists that ordinary citizens find questionable."

He further stated, "Soon, new members of the Independence Activists Merit Review Committee will be appointed," and said, "Once the new committee is launched, it will be possible to review various controversial issues that have arisen so far." The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs has been conducting a full investigation of the merits of independence activists since 2019 to identify those who received honors despite having pro-Japanese records. Initially, the ministry planned to complete the first investigation of about 1,500 initial honorees by July 2019, but the schedule was significantly delayed due to disputes over the objectivity and fairness of the full investigation.

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