Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs: "Democratic Merit Act Bill Causes Social Confusion"

Democratic Party Vote Met with Rebuttal: "Even Those Violating the National Security Act Are Eligible"

Lee Hee-wan, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, expressed concern on the 25th that the bill proposed by the opposition party to enact the Act on the Treatment of Democratic Meritorious Persons (hereinafter referred to as the Democratic Meritorious Persons Act) has ambiguous criteria for deciding the registration of meritorious persons, which is likely to cause severe social confusion.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

At a press briefing held at the Ministry of National Defense building on the same day, Vice Minister Lee pointed out the problems of the Democratic Meritorious Persons Act, which the opposition parties including the Democratic Party of Korea unilaterally passed for direct submission to the plenary session of the National Assembly at the National Assembly's Political Affairs Committee on the 23rd.

The Democratic Meritorious Persons Act defines the subjects of application as "persons who have clearly been recognized for their sacrifice or contribution in resisting anti-democratic authoritarian rule after March 24, 1964, and who have formed a social consensus in establishing the free democratic basic order aimed at by the Constitution." Unlike the Act on the Honorable Treatment of Patriots and Veterans, which clearly defines national meritorious persons such as patriots who died for the country, independence activists, and war veterans, the Democratic Meritorious Persons Act defines democratic meritorious persons with vague and unclear terms such as "establishing the free democratic basic order aimed at by the Constitution" and "forming a social consensus," which is expected to cause confusion during the review process.

Vice Minister Lee said, "The subjects of application under the bill include various incidents recognized under the Act on the Restoration of Honor and Compensation for Persons Related to the Democratization Movement, such as opposition movements against dictatorial regimes, education, media, labor movements, and groups like Busan Dong-eui University, Seoul National University infiltrators, and Namminjeon." He added, "However, the bill does not clearly specify the criteria for determining which incidents qualify as 'democratic meritorious incidents' or which individuals among those related should be designated as 'democratic meritorious persons,' making it seriously difficult to decide on democratic meritorious persons."

He continued, "If the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs independently decides on democratic meritorious persons without clear and specific legal criteria for selection, there is a high possibility of severe social confusion caused by continuous litigation from those who fail the review."

Vice Minister Lee also refuted the opposition party's claims that persons who violated the National Security Act are excluded from registration as democratic meritorious persons and that educational support, which had been controversial as preferential treatment, was also excluded. He pointed out, "The claim that persons who violated the National Security Act are naturally excluded from registration as democratic meritorious persons under the bill is not true. Persons who violated the National Security Act can be registered as democratic meritorious persons through deliberation and resolution by the Veterans Review Committee." He added, "Regarding the claim that practical support such as employment and education has been entirely excluded, I would like to clearly inform that democratic meritorious persons and their children are included in the special admission category under Article 42-6 of the Enforcement Decree of the Higher Education Act."

The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs also pointed out that the Democratic Meritorious Persons Act lacks criteria for reviewing which incidents among various democratization movements should be recognized as democratic meritorious incidents, does not delegate this to a presidential decree, and stipulates the deliberation of the Veterans Review Committee as discretionary rather than mandatory, which is problematic.