Army Staff Sergeant Kim Jung-won jumped up and down to the cheers of a small crowd at a veterans’ hospital in Seoul, Wednesday. If anybody detected a bit of a limp, it’s because the 23-year-old stood on an artificial limb, having lost the lower part of his right leg in the explosion of a North Korean landmine on the south side of the Demilitarized Zone on Aug. 4.
“I want to return to my frontline search unit, but if I can’t, I will find ways of contributing to the military,” SSgt. Kim said as he was discharged from the hospital for more rehabilitation.
Most of all, Kim being back on his feet marks a personal triumph that has been achieved against great odds, encouraging those hit by hardships to emulate his perseverance, face challenges head-on and prevail.
On an equally important level, Kim personifies a strong commitment by the government and the private sector to stand by those who sacrifice big for the defense and promotion of the national interest. Kim stepped on a mine while helping carry to safety his junior noncommissioned officer, SSgt. Ha Jae-hun, who went down after being the first soldier in the patrol to step on one of the mines place by NK forces. SSgt. Ha lost both legs and is also undergoing rehabilitation. Kim said that he tried extra hard to recover promptly to set an example for his more severely injured comrade to follow.
President Park Geun-hye, Defense Minister Han Min-koo and U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) Commander Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti, among other public officials, praised the two soldiers’ acts of heroism. As a result, the government has decided to cover all Kim’s medical and rehab expenses, addressing an absurd regulation that only covers one month of treatment for soldiers injured in the line of duty.
On a private level, Cho Yun-sun, President Park’s former secretary for political affairs, persuaded her alma mater, Sehwa High School, to pay for all his educational expenses until Kim earns his doctorate overseas. Kim also graduated from Sehwa. The school also decided to provide a similar support package for SSgt. Ha as well. All told, the message couldn’t be clearer: the nation will never turn its back on our heroes.
Finally, the North should take note of the meaning of the nation’s 100 percent solidarity behind the two soldiers and change its belligerent behavior. Immediately after the news of the Aug. 4 attack, soldiers who were about to finish their mandatory service, as well as reservists, used SNS to show their willingness to punish the North on the behalf of SSgts. Kim and Ha.
On the back of this strong popular support, President Park won in a test of wills with the North, forcing the country to express its regret and resume the long-disrupted reunions of families separated by the division of the nation and the 1950-1953 Korean War.
Kim, now on his feet, and Ha, still in rehab, are living examples of ultimate patriotism that can unite the nation when the chips are down and turn it into a winning force against any enemy, however formidable. For this, the nation is immensely indebted, we thank our two young heroes and wish them the best of luck.