“This revision reflects a strong commitment for the state to take responsibility to the end for the descendants of independence patriots who, because of the system’s limits over the past 53 years, have been left outside the scope of proper recognition,” said Kwon O-eul, minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs.
Kwon made the remarks as he explained the significance of a revision to the Act on the Honorable Treatment of Independence Patriots, approved Tuesday at a Cabinet meeting, that expands compensation eligibility for descendants of independence patriots.
The revision is expected to be promulgated in May and take effect Jan. 1, 2027. About 2,300 additional descendants are expected to newly receive compensation payments.
Under the system in place since 1973, compensation has been paid to a patriot’s spouse and children. If the patriot died before Korea’s liberation, compensation could also be paid to one grandchild. As a result, grandchildren of patriots who died after liberation were excluded, creating unequal eligibility based on the date of death.
Under the revised law, that difference will be eliminated, and grandchildren will be eligible for compensation regardless of when the patriot died.
Separately, when a patriot’s child dies without receiving compensation, payments have been made to one closest direct descendant. But for patriots recognized in recent years, compensation has often ended with a single generation of survivors, prompting criticism that the state was not meeting its responsibility.
The revision also expands the definition of eligible survivors so that even when the first recipient is a direct descendant at the grandchild level or below, one child of that recipient will also be included, ensuring at least two generations can receive compensation.
“The government will continue to do its utmost so that the descendants of independence patriots who sacrificed and devoted themselves for the nation’s independence can live with pride and honor,” Kwon said.
The ministry also said it is cooperating on efforts to re-enact a Justice Ministry law, the Special Act on the State Vesting of Property of Pro-Japanese Collaborators, to expand honor and support programs for independence patriots and their descendants through active recovery and sale of pro-Japanese assets.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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