Page 290 - 2018 Defense White Paper

the Nonmilitary Participation Search System 54) to enhance eff iciency in verifying participation

in the Korean War. The MND also supports verif ied individuals to receive various benef its
including honorary allowances for participating in the war, local government grants, placement
in national cemeteries, and medical services at veterans’ hospitals. Going forward, the MND

will continue to work with related institutions, including the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans
Affairs, to enhance the privileges of war veterans and honor their sacrif ices.

| Compensation for KIAs of the Second Battle of Yeonpyeong | The KIAs of the Second
Battle of Yeonpyeong, which took place on the West Sea on July 29, 2002, sacrif iced their lives
f ighting in a f ierce battle. However, the compensations for their sacrif ice had to be determined

under provisions applicable only to “deaths on duty” because the military did not have any
provision regarding compensation for those killed in action in the Military Pension Act. This
issue prompted the government to amend the Military Pension Act in 2004 to establish the
criteria for compensation for KIAs. However, the KIAs of the Second Battle of Yeonpyeong did

not benefit from the amendment.
In subsequent years, the need to provide additional compensations to the KIAs of the Second

Battle of Yeonpyeong who did not receive what they deserve was continuously pointed out.
th
Finally, a bill was submitted upon the opening of the 20 National Assembly and through the
active efforts of the MND, the bill was approved in late 2017. The bill was enacted as the Special
Act on the Compensation to Soldiers Killed in the Second Battle of Yeonpyeong on January

16, 2018.
The enactment was followed by the Enforcement Decree of the act, which stipulated the
matters delegated by the act, including the calculation and payment procedure of compensations,

which went into effect on July 17, 2018. On August 6, 2018, under the Act and the Enforcement
Decree, the bereaved families received compensations ranging from KRW 140 million to KRW
180 million apart from the compensations provided in 2002. Going forward, the MND will

continuously exert efforts to honor those who sacrif iced their lives for the nation and fulf ill its
responsibility to the full extent.

54) A database system designed for immediate comparison and utilization of data on nonmilitary participation in the
Korean War

288 Chapter 6 Instilling a High-Morale Military Culture Trusted by the People