March 2023

Veterans Empowerment

¡°There is no future for us if we fail to rightfully remember the patriotic martyrs who devoted themselves to our homeland. The glorious prosperity that we enjoy today is the result of these national heroes who risked their lives in the defense of freedom,¡± Yoon said on March 2 at the signing ceremony with the attendance of veterans and bereaved families.

Outlining a new vision for the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, the president said that, ¡°The most important mission of the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs is to foster a culture of veteran care, a culture of respect for those who dedicated themselves and sacrificed themselves for their country.¡±

The president conducted this signing ceremony in person, rather than through the electronic approval process that is customary for elevating the status of a government agency. According to the Office of the President, this move reflected Yoon¡¯s view that ¡°public servants in uniform who have dedicated themselves to the state deserve to be treated with the proper respect.¡±

The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs started as the Office of Veterans Administration in 1961, and was then elevated to ministerial status in 2017 under the authority of the prime minister. Still, the minister, not being a cabinet member, didn¡¯t have the full authority to deliberate or vote in cabinet meetings or to issue independent ministerial instructions. Due to the limited role, the ministry couldn¡¯t execute policy on veterans affairs effectively.

Now that it has been upgraded from the sub-ministry level to full-fledged ministry status, the ministry is expected to execute policy on veterans affairs more consistently and more effectively.

¡°The ministry¡¯s elevation in status reflects this administration¡¯s determination to treat first-class veteran care as a key priority. This will serve as an opportunity for the nation to rectify the foundations of the state and to equip itself with the internal values suitable for a country that is advanced in both word and deed,¡± the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs said.

Broader Support for Overseas Koreans

Along with the empowerment of the veterans agency, the government also launched a new agency to support the Korean diaspora. The new agency will merge the parts of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs responsible for policy on overseas Koreans with the Overseas Koreans Foundation, a body affiliated with the ministry. This fulfills Yoon¡¯s pledge made during both his presidential campaign and his trips abroad to improve ¡°one-stop assistance¡± for 7.5 million Koreans residing overseas.

Yoon promised that the new agency would develop more programs that are tailored to each region and field. The agency will have a mandate to not only serve as a one-stop shop for consular and legal affairs and mandatory military service, but also provide more comprehensive and systematic support for overseas Koreans in areas such as education for the next generation and programs designed to promote Korean culture.

¡°We will do our best to ensure that overseas Koreans feel strong ties to the homeland through various exchange and support programs,¡± Yoon said.

The revisions to the Government Organization Act, scheduled to take effect in June, will serve to actualize the spirit of the Korean Constitution.

¡°Both the elevation in status of the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs and the establishment of a new government agency for overseas Koreans are intended to benefit the citizens of the Republic of Korea and are connected to the spirit of the Constitution, which calls on us to safeguard our liberal democracy and to protect our countrymen living overseas,¡± Yoon said.

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