'Veterans Budget' Discriminating Against 6·25 War Heroes

73rd Anniversary of the 6·25 War
Even with Equal Sacrifice, Veterans' Benefits Differ
Allowance Varies Up to 4 Times Depending on Mother's Death Timing
Patriotism and Veterans Affairs, No Budget Excuse, Yet Resolution Remains Elusive

Kim Si-soon (79), a child of a Korean War casualty, is looking at her father's memorial tablet set up at the Seoul National Cemetery in Dongjak-gu on the 22nd. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

On August 6, 1950, Kim Bok-seong, a police officer, was captured as a prisoner of war while resisting the invading North Korean People's Army in Hongseong County, Chungnam Province. At that time, the People's Army decided to execute the soldiers and police officers captured along with Kim. The 33-year-old police officer died from gunfire by the People's Army, leaving behind a wife four years his junior and two daughters. Like Kim, 17,628 police officers were killed or injured during the Korean War, accounting for one-third of the police force at the time.

Despite the chaotic situation, Kim's wife had to support her children in place of her deceased husband. Hardships of poverty and hunger followed. Having fled, she had no connections or workplace in the countryside, so she harvested rice and picked up barley ears scattered on the ground to barely make a living. Through relatives, she received a small rice paddy, but even after working for a year, she only harvested two sacks of rice. As a result, it was common for the three family members to share a single bowl of rice.

After the war ended and veterans' allowances began to be paid, life did not improve at all. The tens of thousands of won paid every six months were insufficient for living expenses. To feed, clothe, put to sleep, and educate the children, she had to work excessively. Eventually, the hardships of life made Kim's wife ill. However, due to the lack of veterans' hospitals and medical support systems, the enormous medical expenses had to be borne by the individual, not the state. Kim's wife passed away in 2009.

Risking their lives equally to protect the country... Fourfold difference in allowances following mother's death

On the 22nd, Kim Si-soon, a bereaved family member of a war veteran from the Korean War, placed a photo of her father at the site where her mother is buried at the Seoul National Cemetery in Dongjak-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

On the 22nd, three days before the 73rd anniversary of the Korean War, Kim Bok-seong's eldest daughter, Kim Si-soon, visited the National Cemetery in Dongjak-gu, Seoul. She was six years old when her father died but is now approaching 80. On that day, Kim placed a memorial photo and the police badge her father used when going to work in front of the memorial tablet bearing his name and paid her respects. Behind the tablet on the grass, she scattered soil brought from the place where her mother was cremated. Kim said, “I think my mother lives here, so I often bring food alone, eat it with alcohol, and then go home.”

The impact of her father's death in the war greatly affected Kim's life as well. To ease the family's financial burden, she worked in a sewing factory for 35 years, which caused her left fingers to become severely bent. Kim explained, “Because I made clothes, my fingers got crooked. I pushed with my fingers and got pricked by needles so much that they still hurt now.” After her mother passed away, she maintained her livelihood by pulling weeds at the National Cemetery because compensation payments had stopped. This was due to the principle that veterans' compensation is only paid to the spouse or minor children of the deceased.

Later, the law was amended, and from 2016, Kim began receiving compensation, but the amount was about ten times less than other bereaved families. ‘New inheriting beneficiaries’ like Kim, whose mother died after January 1, 1998, received 114,000 won, while ‘registered inheriting beneficiaries’ whose mothers died earlier received between 970,000 and 1,141,000 won. This disparity remains unresolved. While registered inheriting beneficiaries receive allowances ranging from 1,307,000 to 1,616,000 won this year, new inheriting beneficiaries receive only 439,000 won.

Trends in Allowances for Children of Soldiers Killed in the Korean War (June 25)

New inheriting beneficiaries criticize the current disparity as inappropriate. Although they are all children who lost parents in the Korean War, veterans' benefits differ sharply depending on the timing of their mother's death. Moreover, the year 1998 is pointed out as arbitrary. A Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs official explained, “Allowances began to be paid to beneficiaries in financial difficulty after 1998, so that year was used as the dividing line.” The standard date for veterans' benefits was designated as the date the system changed without much consideration.

They said patriotism and veterans' affairs have no budget excuses... Constitutional Court also orders "Change the system"

The argument that beneficiaries who received more compensation because their mothers lived longer should be treated differently from those who did not is losing persuasiveness. Over time, the accumulated scale of veterans' benefits has become similar. According to the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, as of June 2019, the average veterans' benefits directly or indirectly received by inheriting beneficiaries was 164.76 million won, close to the 167.81 million won average for new inheriting beneficiaries.

The Constitutional Court has also interpreted that there is a problem with the system. In 2019, while ruling the Enforcement Decree of the Act on the Honorable Treatment and Support of Persons of Distinguished Service to the State constitutional by a 5:4 decision, the court pointed out, “If the payment standards continue, a reversal phenomenon will occur soon,” and “The gap will accelerate and soon reach a level constitutionally unacceptable.” It urged “legislative improvement.”

Former President Moon Jae-in bowing his head in greeting to attendees of the 2017 National Merit Invitee Luncheon Meeting and President Yoon Suk-yeol in 2023

The government also acknowledges some problems with the system, but resolution remains distant. Former President Moon Jae-in promised in June 2018, when inviting national veterans and their families to the Blue House, “I will not make excuses such as budget shortages or legal deficiencies in patriotism and veterans' affairs.” However, the veterans' allowance for new inheriting beneficiaries in the 2019 budget announced by the Ministry of Strategy and Finance was only 257,000 won.

In 2019, the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs prepared a plan to raise the veterans' allowance for new inheriting beneficiaries to 56% of that for other beneficiaries by 2026, but it was not implemented. Only after Kim Hwa-ryong, president of the New Inheriting Beneficiaries Association, fasted for ten days last month and met with Park Min-sik, Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, did he hear that the matter would be “actively reviewed.”

However, whether the budget will actually be reflected as planned by the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs is uncertain. The ministry stated, “The increase for next year will be finalized after the National Assembly's review of the budget proposal,” and “We will continue to consult with financial authorities to ensure appropriate allowances are paid.” A Ministry of Strategy and Finance official explained, “There are resource constraints and priority issues,” but also said, “Because the allowance system has excessive gaps, we are considering selective additional increases.”

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