Ignoring the Sacrifice of Under-17 Child Soldiers in the Korean War... Yuk Jeong-mi, Democratic Party Daegu City Councilor, Urges Compensation and Restoration of Honor

Five-Minute Speech at Daegu City Council
Expectations for Memorial Hall and Commemorative Projects

Yuk Jeong-mi, a member of the Daegu City Council (Democratic Party, proportional representation), urged compensation and restoration of honor for the victims of the Daegu 6·25 War child soldiers during her 5-minute free speech at the 2nd plenary session of the 314th extraordinary meeting on the 21st.

Councilor Yuk stated, "During the 6·25 War, child soldiers under the age of 17 risked their lives to protect their homeland, but after the war ended, their special sacrifices were neglected," emphasizing the need for compensation and restoration of honor for the child soldiers.

Yuk Jeong-mi, Daegu City Councilor

Specifically, she said, "Even after the war ended, child soldiers had no opportunity to return to school like student soldiers or student volunteer corps, and were forced to serve from one to as long as three years tied to the dog tags they were given," adding, "The reality they faced after the war was even more tragic; they had to fight to survive and endure the state's neglect while being deprived of educational opportunities."

Councilor Yuk also addressed the issue of discrimination against the Zainichi student soldiers, explaining, "Zainichi student soldiers were designated as national merit recipients and received monthly compensation simply because they could not return to Japan after the war, but the child soldiers who answered the call of their homeland and fought do not receive the treatment of national merit recipients unless they were killed or injured."

Regarding Daegu City's allocation of a budget of 100 million won this year to remember and document the sacrifices of the child soldiers, Councilor Yuk said, "It is significant that Daegu City is the first in the Republic of Korea to take steps to resolve the child soldier issue, and I hope various projects such as the establishment of a memorial hall, commemorative events, data collection, and exhibitions will be promoted," urging, "The nation must no longer neglect the sacrifices of the child soldiers and must restore the honor of the 6·25 War child soldier veterans and provide them with proper compensation and treatment even now."