Upgrade boosts hopes for reform at Veterans Affairs Ministry

With the Moon Jae-in administration seeking to elevate the status of the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, expectations are high of a chance to reform an agency that has weathered the ups and downs of past governments according to their ideological inclinations.

Cheong Wa Dae, the government and the ruling Democratic Party of Korea on Monday announced a plan to upgrade the agency to a ministerial-level organization as part of their plan to restructure the administration.

“The status of the Veteran Affairs Ministry needs to be strengthened in order to expand democratic values enshrined in the Constitution and raise the level of treatment of veterans,” Rep. Kim Tae-nyeon, chief of the party’s policy committee, said after a three-way meeting.

The plan is expected to provide impetus for a reform initiative led by the agency’s new chief, retired Lt. Col. Pi Woo-jin. She pledged to break away from her predecessors from the military, many of whom were accused of promoting right-leaning ideological projects and sometimes chauvinistic ideas while putting policy support for war veterans on the back burner.

The ministry was created in 1961 as a state body tasked with looking after war veterans and retired soldiers. But the status of the organization has often changed depending on the administration’s political lines.

The organization was a ministerial-level agency until 1998, when then-President Kim Dae-jung decided to reduce its status. Kim’s successor Roh Moo-hyun reinstated its previous status in 2004, only to be lowered again by Roh’s successor Lee Myung-bak in 2008.

“I’m hoping there will be no more changes to the status of our organization. Regardless of who takes power and what kinds of ideology he or she has, supporting veterans should continue,” a ministry official said on condition of anonymity.

Since taking office on May 17, Pi has announced a series of programs aiming to focus on her duty: expanding support for the veterans.

In an official report to Cheong Wa Dae last Tuesday, the ministry said it would provide veterans with more benefits in medical services and social welfare. Pi also vowed to overhaul the military education system implemented during the tenure of her predecessor, retired Lt. Gen. Park Sung-choon, who sparked controversy for advocating extreme, right-wing ideology during previous conservative governments.

“I’m going to overhaul the controversial education system entirely. National security is not something to be taught in a top-down, one-sided manner. We are going to help the people realize democratic values and appreciate the significance of them,” Pi said on May 30.

By Yeo Jun-suk (jasonyeo@heraldcorp.com)