"Benefits of the Law for Democratic Merit Recipients Are the Same as Other National Merit Recipients"
"No Special Privileges, Excessive Benefits Can Be Removed"
Woo Won-sik, head of the Democratic Party of Korea's Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Response Task Force, is delivering opening remarks at the 2nd TF meeting held at the National Assembly on the 22nd. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@
[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] Woo Won-sik, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, on the 25th, reacted strongly against the ruling party's criticism of the Act on the Treatment of Democratic Patriots as a "law for hereditary status of activists," saying, "They are deliberately distorting the facts and spreading false propaganda to the public despite knowing the content clearly," and added, "This is truly unacceptable."
On the same day, Woo appeared on KBS Radio's "Choi Kyung-young's Strong Current Affairs" and said, "The Act on the Treatment of Democratic Patriots is a law that honors those who died, went missing, or were seriously injured and diagnosed with disability during the democratization movement as patriots," adding, "The deceased democratic martyrs are not coming back to create this law, so calling it a self-reward law by some political circles and conservative media is a distortion of facts and a serious defamation of the democratic martyrs."
At the event, he focused on clarifying misunderstandings about the Act on the Treatment of Democratic Patriots. Woo explained, "Those like Lee Han-yeol, Park Jong-cheol, and Jeon Tae-il, who played significant roles in democratization and lost their lives, are not classified as patriots," and added, "It is for those recognized as related to democratization who are requesting to be honored as patriots."
Regarding the subjects of this law, he explained, "If you combine those who have passed away and those who have suffered serious injuries, it amounts to about 830 people," and emphasized, "There is not a single politician or member of the National Assembly included." On the treatment of patriots, he introduced, "This is not a special privilege only contained in the Act on the Treatment of Democratic Patriots," and said, "It is simply under the same legal framework included in all patriot-related laws." Woo stated, "You cannot exclude the benefits such as education, employment, and medical care, which are included in all patriot laws, from the Act on the Treatment of Democratic Patriots," and added, "So, putting them all in equally and then claiming that there is a big privilege is a distortion of facts."
Woo said, "The democratization movement is not about seeking special privileges for anyone but is for the whole country, and considering the history of the democratization movement, it is a necessary task that must be done," and added, "If there are any parts that could be considered excessive benefits, those parts can be removed."
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