Yoon's Unprecedented Handwritten Signature... Veterans Affairs Department Elevated After 62 Years

Hosted Public Signing Ceremony for the Establishment of the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs and the Overseas Koreans Agency
Uniformed Personnel and Families of National Heroes Attend
Yoon Emphasizes "Strengthening Tailored Policies" for the Overseas Koreans Agency

President Yoon stated on the 2nd, "The dignity of a nation depends on whom it remembers. The government will never forget those who responded to the call of the Republic of Korea under any circumstances."

On the same day, President Yoon presided over a public signing ceremony for the promulgation of the 'Government Organization Act,' which includes the elevation of the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs and the establishment of the Overseas Koreans Office, related to the first government reorganization, at the Yongsan Presidential Office in the afternoon, and made these remarks.

At the signing ceremony, President Yoon emphasized, "The brilliant prosperity we enjoy is the result of patriotic heroes risking their lives to protect freedom," and added, "The most important mission of the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs is to spread a culture of respect and honor for those who sacrificed and devoted themselves to the nation."

He particularly promised, "The government will responsibly honor the patriotic heroes without the slightest negligence," and "We will cherish and uphold the spirit of freedom that the patriotic heroes defended with their entire bodies even more dearly."

Regarding the establishment of the Overseas Koreans Office, he said, "This was a promise made whenever I met our compatriots during the election process and overseas visits," and introduced, "The launch of the Overseas Koreans Office, targeting overseas Koreans worldwide, holds special significance. We will strengthen customized policies for overseas Koreans by region and sector so that they can truly feel the impact."

At the signing ceremony, symbolic figures related to the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs and the Overseas Koreans Office were invited, and President Yoon signed by hand instead of the usual electronic signature to honor them.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Attendees included Park Jin, Minister of Foreign Affairs; Park Min-sik, Director of the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs; Lee Wan-gyu, Director of the Ministry of Government Legislation; Shin Beom-cheol, Vice Minister of National Defense; Han Chang-seop, Vice Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety; Jo Ji-ho, Deputy Commissioner of the National Police Agency; Nam Hwan-young, Deputy Commissioner of the Fire Agency; Shin Yong-hae, Director of the Correction Headquarters of the Ministry of Justice; Kim Dae-gi, Chief of the Presidential Secretariat; and Kim Sung-han, Director of the National Security Office.

Representing uniformed personnel responsible for the lives and safety of the people were Police Superintendent Choi Young-hee from the Jeonbuk Provincial Police Agency; Fire Captain Park Jong-bok from the Central 119 Rescue Headquarters, who participated in the emergency relief team for the Turkey earthquake; Police Lieutenant Lee Jang-yeon from the Pohang Maritime Police Station, who dramatically rescued a crew member trapped in an air pocket during the February 2021 fishing vessel capsizing accident off Gyeongju, Gyeongbuk; and Correction Officer Kim Hyo-eun, a female correction officer from the Correction Headquarters of the Ministry of Justice.

Symbolic invitees related to the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs included Yeong-soon On, spouse of the late Major Kang Jae-gu, who blocked a mistakenly thrown grenade with his body during grenade throwing training in 1965, and their son Kang Byung-hoon; Min-seok Choi and granddaughter Hyun-jung Choi, son and granddaughter of the late Police Superintendent Choi Gyu-sik, who died defending the Blue House from North Korean armed infiltrators during the January 21, 1968 incident; Doo-ho Yoon and Deok-hee Hwang, parents of the late Major Yoon Young-ha, who died in the Second Battle of Yeonpyeong in 2002; Haena Kim, daughter of the late Navy Warrant Officer Kim Tae-seok, who died in the 2010 Cheonan sinking incident and is scheduled to be commissioned as a Navy Second Lieutenant in 2025; Oh Bok Kim, mother of the late Corporal Seo Jeong-woo, who died in the 2010 Yeonpyeong Island shelling; Sergeant Kim Jeong-won and Reserve Sergeant Ha Jae-heon, who were seriously injured by a landmine explosion in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) in 2015; Ki-young Ahn, great-great-grandchild of independence activist Ahn Jung-geun (granddaughter of cousin Ahn Jang-geun); and In Yo-han, director of Severance International Medical Center, whose grandfather and father were independence activists and United Nations Command veterans, among 25 attendees.

Invited guests for the Overseas Koreans Office included Kim Seok-ki, a member of the People Power Party recognized for actively promoting legislative activities to enhance the rights of overseas Koreans; Kim Young-geun, executive director of the World Korean Network, who contributed to building the global Korean network; and Lee Young-geun, planning director of the Overseas Koreans Foundation, who contributed to promoting exchanges and cooperation within the overseas Korean community.

[Image source=Yonhap News]