Public Official Killed During Dangerous Duty to Be Buried in National Cemetery After 18 Years

Burial Ceremony Held at Daejeon National Cemetery on April 20

The Late Baek Jongseop to Be Buried Following Veterans Ministry's Re-examination

The late Baek Jongseop, a public official who died in a traffic accident 18 years ago while repairing a streetlight, will be buried in the National Cemetery.

The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission announced that around 11 a.m. on April 20, a burial ceremony was held at the Daejeon National Cemetery in Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, attended by about 50 people, including Baek's bereaved family and Vice Chair and Secretary General Han Samseok.

Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, Government Complex Sejong. Photo by Hyunmin Kim

Born in 1968, Baek was appointed as a local electrician public official in May 1991 and served for 17 years. On February 29, 2008, while repairing a streetlight on a high-altitude work platform on Gangbyeon-ro, a passing crane vehicle collided with the support of the platform, causing him to fall. A high-altitude work platform is equipment that safely moves workers to elevated locations to install building signs, piping, and other structures. Baek died the following day, March 1, due to 'medullary paralysis caused by cerebral hemorrhage resulting from a skull fracture.'

At the time, Wansan District Office in Jeonju recognized Baek's death as an official duty-related death. Both the Government Employees Pension Service and the Veterans Review Board also ruled that he met the criteria for a public official who died in the line of duty. However, in December 2013, the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs decided that he was 'not eligible for burial' in the National Cemetery, and when the bereaved family requested a re-examination, the documents were returned. In November last year, Baek's spouse filed a grievance petition with the commission, asking for assistance so her husband could be buried in the National Cemetery.

According to the commission's investigation, the law on the establishment and management of national cemeteries defines 'performance of dangerous duties' as work for which a hazardous duty allowance is paid. It was confirmed that at the time of his death, Baek was receiving this allowance and died while performing a dangerous duty. The commission issued a corrective recommendation to the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs to re-examine Baek's eligibility for burial in the National Cemetery, and the ministry ultimately determined that Baek was eligible.

Vice Chair Han Samseok stated, "The state should honor public officials who died while performing dangerous duties for the safety of the public," and added, "We will do our best to handle related grievance petitions in order to establish the value that special sacrifices deserve special rewards."

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