Songpa District Has the Most Families Honored for Military Service in Seoul

"In our family, serving in the military is simply a matter of course."

Songpa District in Seoul was recently recognized as the district with the highest number of "families honored for military service" in Seoul for the past two years. According to statistics from the Seoul Regional Military Manpower Administration, from April 2023 to April 2025, a total of 2,196 families in Seoul were designated as families honored for military service, with Songpa District accounting for 148 families?the highest among the 25 districts.

The late portrait of Jang Songgeol from a family honored for military service. He is wearing the Korean War veteran medal around his neck. Provided by Songpa District.

The families honored for military service are selected through a strict screening process by the Military Manpower Administration. The designation is given to families in which three consecutive generations have all completed their active-duty military service faithfully. Selected families receive a certificate and are invited to participate in various events and honor programs hosted by the Military Manpower Administration.

The family of Jang Jeongman (age 55), who lives in Jangji-dong, has a military service tradition that began during the Korean War. His late father, Jang Songgeol (born in 1924), served as a railroad official and was responsible for transporting military supplies throughout the war. In the second generation, both Jang and his brother served as Army sergeants. In the third generation, Jang's son and nephew continued the family tradition by serving in the Army as well. Jang's son now works in the defense industry, utilizing both his experience in an armored unit during his military service and his university major in IT.

Yoon Taechun (age 69), who resides in Garak-dong, has a family with 12 members who have fulfilled their military service, the highest number among the families recognized in the past two years. The first generation, Yoon Jihyun (born in 1929), was assigned to a U.S. Army unit as an Army soldier on December 15, 1953, after the end of the Korean War, and served for 55 months. In the second generation, Yoon and all five of his brothers, as well as six sons and nephews, all faithfully served in the Army. Of the 12 members across three generations, except for two who were discharged as staff sergeants, 10 completed their service as Army sergeants, exemplifying the model of fulfilling military duty.

Yoon said, "In our family, serving in the military has been a natural tradition since my father's time, and fulfilling military duty was simply taken for granted. I don't consider our family to be special in any way."

In addition, Songpa District is home to many other notable stories of military service, including a family of six who collectively served for 741 months?about 62 years?in total, and a family where the first generation served in the Navy and the second and third generations served in the Marine Corps.

Songpa District places the value of honoring veterans at the core of its administration. The district has increased the monthly veterans' allowance from 50,000 won to 100,000 won, and provides a participation allowance of 300,000 won to Korean War veterans every year on June 25. Songpa also leads the way with various veteran support policies, including funeral assistance programs and support for memorial portrait photography.

Seo Gangseok, Mayor of Songpa District, stated, "The fact that Songpa is home to the largest number of families honored for military service is a source of pride for our district. We will continue to build a city where national merit recipients and their families are respected, ensuring that the sacrifice and dedication of previous generations are never forgotten."