On September 3, Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs Kwon Oeul commented on Kim Hyungseok, Director of the Independence Hall of Korea, who sparked controversy with his statement that "Liberation was a gift from the Allied Forces." Minister Kwon stated, "Given his various remarks and behavior in the National Assembly, I do not believe he is suitable to serve as the Director of the Independence Hall."
During a press conference held that afternoon in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, Minister Kwon said, "While it is an academic and ideological freedom for a scholar to express their own thoughts, the position of Director of the Independence Hall is meant to honor and commemorate independence activists. I do not think it is appropriate for someone like him to hold this position."
Minister Kwon added, "The term of the Director of the Independence Hall is institutionally guaranteed, so while the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs can provide guidance and oversight, we cannot comment on his tenure. The Ministry is actively cooperating to ensure that the audit requested by the Liberation Association and the public to the Board of Audit and Inspection proceeds without any issues."
He continued, "If there is a role for the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs after the audit results are released, we will not avoid our responsibilities. If there are other issues identified in the audit results, we will follow the appropriate procedures."
At the same press conference, Minister Kwon announced that a "Five-Year National Patriots and Veterans Affairs Plan" would be established by the end of this year and reported to the President through the Cabinet meeting. He said, "We will finalize improvements to the still insufficient national veterans affairs system by the end of this year and report to the President. After that, veterans policies will be implemented according to the manual."
Minister Kwon also highlighted legislative measures that need to be addressed, such as the enactment of the "Democracy Meritorious Persons Act," which provides the legal basis for compensation and honors for those who contributed to democratization, and the amendment of the "Independence Meritorious Persons Act," which would extend compensation to the fourth and fifth generations of independence activists' descendants. Regarding the amendment, he said, "As the President has mentioned, there is a saying that 'three generations are ruined if one participates in the independence movement.' In reality, many families of independence activists have struggled because their descendants had no opportunity to receive an education."
He further explained, "If there was no compensation for the first to third generations (including the independence activist themselves), we are considering compensating the fourth and fifth generations. If there was no compensation for the first and second generations, we are considering compensating the third and fourth generations. At a minimum, we are reviewing a plan to provide compensation for at least two generations."
Meanwhile, the government has set next year's veterans affairs budget at 6.6582 trillion won, a 3.3% increase from this year. As a result, the special honor allowance for surviving patriots will double from the current 1.57 to 1.72 million won per month to 3.15 to 3.45 million won per month. Compensation for national merit recipients will increase by 5%, and the honor allowances for veterans of the Korean War, those awarded for military merit, and contributors to the April 19 Revolution will each increase by 30,000 won.
Additionally, a new livelihood support payment will be introduced for elderly and low-income spouses of deceased veterans, and the eligibility for dependent family allowances will be expanded to include those with a seventh-degree disability among military and police personnel injured in the line of duty.
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