The amount of military compensation that the Ministry of National Defense is required to pay has surged, yet the related budget falls significantly short of actual needs. A total of 4,637 individuals have not received compensation despite court rulings, with unpaid amounts exceeding 150 billion won.
According to data submitted by Yoo Yong-won, a member of the National Defense Committee from the People Power Party, as of September 30 this year, the unpaid military compensation totaled 150.6 billion won. There have been cases where individuals have not received payments for about seven months after filing claims in February.
Military compensation is a program that provides damages to citizens harmed during the execution of duties by the Ministry of National Defense or the military. It primarily includes compensation for historical incidents such as the Samcheong Education Center and the Jeju 4.3 Incident.
While the scale of compensation payments is rapidly increasing, the budget allocations have not kept pace. The amount disbursed for military compensation rose from 87.9 billion won in 2023 to 135.7 billion won in 2024 and 179.4 billion won in 2025, marking an approximate 104% increase over two years.
In contrast, the budget allocations decreased from 27.7 billion won in 2023 to about 17.7 billion won in both 2024 and 2025, a reduction of approximately 36%. This year, the allocated amount was only 20.0 billion won, yet by the end of August, 89.6 billion won had already been disbursed. The expected total disbursement by the end of the year is projected to reach 202.3 billion won.
The Ministry of National Defense has been covering the shortfall in compensation budgets by reallocating funds from other projects. The amounts secured through this method were 118.0 billion won in 2024 and 171.9 billion won in 2025. This year, it was confirmed that a total of 70.0 billion won from budgets related to non-commissioned officer salaries was utilized for military compensation.
The burden of interest due to delayed payments is also increasing. Delayed interest rose from 2.6 billion won in 2023 to 8.1 billion won in 2024, with 6.2 billion won expected in 2025. The estimated amount for delayed interest payments this year is projected to be 10.2 billion won.
Complaints regarding payment delays submitted to the National Complaint Center increased from two in 2023 and one in 2024 to eleven in 2025, with 36 cases reported by the end of September this year.
Concerns are growing that budget shortages may recur next year. The government has proposed a military compensation budget of 50.3 billion won for 2027, which is only about 29% of the Ministry of National Defense's estimated needs of 172.5 billion won for the upcoming year.
Yoo stated, "The delay in compensation payments after the state’s liability rulings can undermine public trust in the government," and emphasized the need for substantial measures from the Ministry of National Defense and budget authorities to prevent ongoing situations where citizens must wait indefinitely for compensation payments.
He added, "Even considering limited financial conditions, the issues of insufficient military compensation budgets and payment delays have been recurring for years. The government must closely analyze future needs to enhance the appropriateness of budget allocations and develop measures to minimize delays in compensation payments."
According to data submitted by Yoo Yong-won, a member of the National Defense Committee from the People Power Party, as of September 30 this year, the unpaid military compensation totaled 150.6 billion won. There have been cases where individuals have not received payments for about seven months after filing claims in February.
Military compensation is a program that provides damages to citizens harmed during the execution of duties by the Ministry of National Defense or the military. It primarily includes compensation for historical incidents such as the Samcheong Education Center and the Jeju 4.3 Incident.
While the scale of compensation payments is rapidly increasing, the budget allocations have not kept pace. The amount disbursed for military compensation rose from 87.9 billion won in 2023 to 135.7 billion won in 2024 and 179.4 billion won in 2025, marking an approximate 104% increase over two years.
In contrast, the budget allocations decreased from 27.7 billion won in 2023 to about 17.7 billion won in both 2024 and 2025, a reduction of approximately 36%. This year, the allocated amount was only 20.0 billion won, yet by the end of August, 89.6 billion won had already been disbursed. The expected total disbursement by the end of the year is projected to reach 202.3 billion won.
The Ministry of National Defense has been covering the shortfall in compensation budgets by reallocating funds from other projects. The amounts secured through this method were 118.0 billion won in 2024 and 171.9 billion won in 2025. This year, it was confirmed that a total of 70.0 billion won from budgets related to non-commissioned officer salaries was utilized for military compensation.
The burden of interest due to delayed payments is also increasing. Delayed interest rose from 2.6 billion won in 2023 to 8.1 billion won in 2024, with 6.2 billion won expected in 2025. The estimated amount for delayed interest payments this year is projected to be 10.2 billion won.
Complaints regarding payment delays submitted to the National Complaint Center increased from two in 2023 and one in 2024 to eleven in 2025, with 36 cases reported by the end of September this year.
Concerns are growing that budget shortages may recur next year. The government has proposed a military compensation budget of 50.3 billion won for 2027, which is only about 29% of the Ministry of National Defense's estimated needs of 172.5 billion won for the upcoming year.
Yoo stated, "The delay in compensation payments after the state’s liability rulings can undermine public trust in the government," and emphasized the need for substantial measures from the Ministry of National Defense and budget authorities to prevent ongoing situations where citizens must wait indefinitely for compensation payments.
He added, "Even considering limited financial conditions, the issues of insufficient military compensation budgets and payment delays have been recurring for years. The government must closely analyze future needs to enhance the appropriateness of budget allocations and develop measures to minimize delays in compensation payments."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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