The nominee for South Korea’s new veterans minister vowed Thursday to make efforts to improve the quality of support for people who have rendered distinguished service to the country. Kang Jung-ai made the remark in a parliamentary confirmation hearing after being nominated for the position earlier this month to replace outgoing Veterans Minister Park Min-shik. The National Assembly later adopted a confirmation hearing report for Kang as the veterans minister. “By rationalizing the compensation system for people of distinguished service to the state, I will greatly improve the quality of compensation and support,” she said, vowing to push for a “fundamental change” to the country’s veterans affairs policy. The Yoon Suk Yeol administration has sought to strengthen support for veterans, upgrading the veterans ministry into a full-fledged one in June this year. People of distinguished service to the state, including soldiers and police officers killed in action or in the line of duty, are currently eligible for compensation, ranging from 568,000 won (US$435) to some 6 million won a month, excluding other benefits, according to the ministry. As of last month, there were over 160,000 surviving people of distinguished service and nearly 260,000 bereaved family members, ministry data showed. Veterans of the 1950-53 Korean War are categorized separately. Kang, a former president of Sookmyung Women’s University, comes from a family of veterans, with her father being a recipient of the Order of Military Merit for his participation in the Korean War. Her grandfather-in-law is known for being a member of the Heroic Corps, an independence organization against Japan’s 1910-45 colonial rule of Korea.

Source: Yonhap News Agency