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| ▲ Veterans Minister Park Min-shik speaks during an interview with Yonhap News Agency at his office in Seoul on June 13, 2023. (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ Veterans Minister Park Min-shik speaks during an interview with Yonhap News Agency at his office in Seoul on June 13, 2023. (Yonhap) |
(LEAD) (Yonhap Interview) veterans minister
(LEAD) (Yonhap Interview) Veterans minister stresses gov't focus on rewarding patriotism as 'core values'
(ATTN: ADDS more details in paras 12-13; RECASTS paras 6,9)
By Chae Yun-hwan
SEOUL, June 14 (Yonhap) -- Backed by its recent status upgrade, the veterans ministry will forge ahead with a range of high-profile tasks from recovering the remains of a legendary independence fighter to building stronger ties with the countries that backed South Korea during the 1950-53 Korean War, its minister has said.
In an interview with Yonhap News Agency Tuesday, Minister Park Min-shik laid out his policy priorities that fall in line with the Yoon Suk Yeol administration's commitment to recognizing and rewarding patriotic services as among the "core values" for the nation's march toward a prosperous future.
He was sworn in as the administration's first veterans minister on June 5, following an upgrade from sub-ministry unit to full-fledged ministry status -- a change bound to bolster the ministry's authority in its role to honor national heroes and patriots.
"(Rewarding patriotism) is a core value and asset for South Korea to develop into the future," he said. "I believe its value is an indispensable one, without which future prosperity can hardly be achieved."
Park also underscored the drive to honor patriotic services should transcend politics and be entrenched as a "culture" as opposed to a "one-off" event.
Among the key tasks of his ministry is to excavate the remains of Ahn Jung-geun -- a renowned independence fighter against Japan -- possibly through cooperation with Japan.
Ahn was executed for assassinating Hirobumi Ito, Japan's first Resident-General of Korea, in Harbin, China, in 1909. Work spanning more than a dozen years to locate his remains, thought to be at a prison site in Dalian, China, has borne little fruit.
"As Japan is a country known for keeping records thoroughly, there should be some materials (about Ahn)," Park said. "We are thinking of trying to have productive consultations with Japan. As a long time has passed by, we hope Japan will work together on this with a forward-looking attitude."
His ministry also plans to restore the grave of Choi Jae-hyung, a leader of Korea's independence movement during Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule, at Seoul National Cemetery in time for the country's Liberation Day on Aug. 15, according to the minister.
A temporary grave was set up at the cemetery in 1970 to commemorate his service even though his remains were not found. It was removed in the 2000s after an individual, who falsely claimed to be a descendant was looking to take away state benefits from the bereaved family.
The ministry, in addition, plans to bring the remains of his wife from Kyrgyzstan to enable the couple to be laid to rest side by side at the cemetery, Park said.
He also reiterated his call for the need to build a memorial for South Korea's first president, Rhee Syng-man, a divisive figure in South Korean politics for his authoritarian rule before he was ousted by a civil uprising in 1960.
"Even if President Rhee Syng-man has faults, it is unlikely that he is not deserving of at least one statue," he said.
Alongside the commemoration of national heroes, the ministry is determined to pay more attention to engagement with the 22 countries that participated in the Korean War in support of South Korea, Park said, calling the relations with them a "tremendous diplomatic asset" in light of national interests.
"As the ministry will efficiently pursue diplomacy at an equal ministerial level with the 22 states that participated in the war under the U.N. banner, it will be able to further strengthen international cooperation with the countries, including the South Korea-U.S. alliance," Park said.
The countries include the United States, Britain, Canada, Turkey, Australia, the Philippines, New Zealand, Thailand, Ethiopia, Greece, France, Colombia, Belgium, South Africa, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Italy, West Germany, India, Norway, Sweden, and Denmark.
The upgrade comes as the ministry plans to hold a major remembrance ceremony on July 27 in Busan, 325 kilometers southeast of Seoul, to mark the 70th anniversary of the signing of the armistice that halted the war in 1953.
On the eve of the event, the ministry will host a ministerial meeting between the 22 countries.
"The 70th anniversary isn't just meaningful for South Korea but for all the 22 countries that took part in the Korean War," he said, noting that the Korean War marked the first time countries went to war under the U.N. flag.
"The connection with the 22 countries that took part in the Korean War is not just a matter of gratitude, but it is also a tremendous diplomatic asset," he said.
Park pointed out that his ministry's tasks extend all the way to young Korean men or "heroes on campus" who just returned to school after their mandatory service.
"We will study what their needs are. For example, there could be a scholarship program for them if they meet certain criteria, though we cannot give it to all," he said.
To foster patriotism, the minister noted a push to transform the Seoul National Cemetery into a more "open and accessible" area through such measures as creating an arboretum, a concert hall and an art gallery.
Following its status upgrade, the ministry will be entrusted with the management of the cemetery, which was under the defense ministry.
"To put it bluntly, Seoul National Cemetery has shined just on Memorial Day and was a neglected area for the rest of the year," he said. "In order to transform into 'scared grounds of patriots' it needs to be better accessible."
Park, who himself is a son of a veteran killed during the Vietnam War, also stressed he will make efforts to instill pride among family members of those who made sacrifices for their country through his new fully-fledged ministry.
"I would like to create a culture where family members of veterans can have pride," he said. "We used to be considered recipients of aid, leaving no space for pride. I'd like to make efforts to change that."
(END)
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