When the young May verdant gives way to deeper summer greens in June, many Koreans ― particularly older Koreans who remember directly or have indirect memories from stories told by their parents who went through the Korean War ― pause to remember.
The layers and passages of time and the urgency of problems posed by extreme polarization in the world's 10th-largest economy may have weakened the violent and bloody memories of the fratricidal war whose end is the current cease-fire. But two recent government structural changes jolted back to our minds the sacrifices made by the Korean people.
The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs was upgraded to full ministry status, 62 years after its inception. Its chief is a full-grade Cabinet member. Essentially, the upgrade tasks the ministry to govern and oversee the Seoul National Cemetery ― to date carried out by the Defense Ministry ― and to strengthen economic, medical and living assistance for veterans and patriots. Another priority task will be identifying the remains of the 121,879 Korean soldiers still unaccounted for during the bloody 1950-1953 Korean War.
On Monday, the Overseas Koreans Agency was launched to support overseas Koreans. This unit was a campaign pledge by both the ruling and the opposition parties in the 2022 presidential election. At the agency's inauguration, President Yoon stressed connectivity and growth: "By closely connecting with each other, both overseas Koreans and the Republic of Korea will grow and develop together."
A 2021 figure puts the number of overseas Koreans at some 7.32 million, living across 190 countries around the world. The figure accounts for 15 percent of Korean population. Overseas Koreans can now deal with a one-stop channel in taking care of issues regarding nationality, visas, military service, tax and other issues instead of scurrying between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other respective government ministries or agencies.
Overseas Koreans include those who for political or economic reasons migrated to Manchuria, Hawaii, Mexico or Cuba in the late 19th century or early 20th century, ethnic Koreans in Japan, Koryoin from Russia and Central Asian countries and the miners and nurses dispatched to Germany during the peak industrialization period of Korea.
The news of both coming on the same day seems to suddenly link the two separate loops into a unified chain beading the narratives of people that underwent Korea's turbulent change, oppression and violence here and the people who form the Korean diaspora. It's a structural and significant recognition of the service, sacrifice and hard choices made to, essentially, bring about peace and achieve a better life for all.
Both the upgraded and the new agency are belated in a sense. Depending on one's political leanings, skeptics can opine that the two developments come across as a conservative administration's trophy-like policy.
There are tall tasks ahead. The veterans and patriots ministry will work to identify, honor and support the independence fighters from the 1910-1945 colonization period of Korea by Japan, Vietnam War veterans, May 18th democracy movement fighters as well as discharged soldiers, firefighters and police who served the nation. The new Overseas Koreans Agency, a small unit with only 150 staff, has pledged to embrace multicultural families, overseas adoptees and overseas Koreans residing in the country.
Yet, the 70 years of growth from post-war poverty into a developed nation has hopefully left us lessons; a manual of sorts. The veterans and patriots ministry can hopefully iron out the differing political historical debates to identify patriots. It can also better serve the country's people in uniform ― the police officers, firefighters and soldiers ― working in challenging environments.
The overseas agency is much smaller, but Korea's diverse social context can prompt the overseas agency to think out of the box as it deals with multicultural families and second and third generations of overseas Koreans. The formal administrative apparatus is in place; work begins again and anew.
The writer is a member of the Editorial Board.
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When the young May verdant gives way to deeper summer greens in June, many Koreans ― particularly older Koreans who remember directly or have indirect memories from stories told by their parents who went through the Korean War ― pause to remember.
The layers and passages of time and the urgency of problems posed by extreme polarization in the world's 10th-largest economy may have weakened the violent and bloody memories of the fratricidal war whose end is the current cease-fire. But two recent government structural changes jolted back to our minds the sacrifices made by the Korean people.
The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs was upgraded to full ministry status, 62 years after its inception. Its chief is a full-grade Cabinet member. Essentially, the upgrade tasks the ministry to govern and oversee the Seoul National Cemetery ― to date carried out by the Defense Ministry ― and to strengthen economic, medical and living assistance for veterans and patriots. Another priority task will be identifying the........
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