'Police Hero' Chief Moon Hyung-soon Designated National Merit 58 Years After Death

Former Moseulpo Police Chief Moon Hyung-soon, known as a 'Police Hero,' has been recognized as a Korean War veteran.

The National Police Agency announced on the 3rd that Moon, who dedicated his youth to the independence movement and saved residents during the Jeju April 3 Incident after liberation, has been officially recognized as a Korean War veteran.

Until now, the National Police Agency had uncovered historical records of Moon's independence activism and requested the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs to review his status as an independence activist six times, but he was not awarded due to insufficient evidence.

Former Chief Moon Hyung-soon of Moseulpo Police Station.
[Photo by National Police Agency]

Accordingly, the National Police Agency, noting Moon’s service as a police officer during the Korean War and his work at the 'Jirisan Combat Command,' requested the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs last July to recognize him as a Korean War veteran rather than an independence activist.

Finally, in December of last year, the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs completed the registration of Moon as a Korean War veteran and notified the National Police Agency of the result.

With Moon now registered as a Korean War veteran, the National Police Agency plans to confer the highest respect and honors as a police hero, including coordinating with Jeju National Cemetery to arrange for his burial in the National Cemetery.

Moon retired in September 1953 after serving as the head of the Security and Protection Division at Jeju Police Station. He passed away at the age of 70 on June 20, 1966, at Jeju Provincial Hospital, leaving no surviving family, and is currently resting at the Jeju Pyeongan Residents' Cemetery.

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