Veterans ministry recommends local governments raise compensation for veterans
Veterans who fought in the amphibious landing operation in Incheon, west of Seoul, in September 1950 are welcomed by Lt. Gen. Joseph Hilbert, commander of the U.S. Eighth Army, Sept. 15. Yonhap
The veterans ministry has issued guidelines advising local governments to increase their honorary allowances for veterans of the 1950-53 Korean war and the Vietnam War to help reduce discrepancies in payouts between regions, officials said Thursday.
Under the guidelines, the ministry recommended that basic local governments and metropolitan governments gradually raise their monthly payments to 119,000 won ($88.97) and 109,000 won, respectively, by early 2029.
The veterans ministry offers a monthly compensation of 490,000 won for veterans above the age of 70 who fought in the Korean War and the Vietnam War.
Additional allowances are separately given to the war veterans by basic local governments and the metropolitan governments, but the amounts of payouts have varied significantly between regions.
For instance, the southwestern cities of Jeonju and Jeongeup offer a sum of 140,000 won, the lowest among cities and provinces, whereas Hwacheon county in the eastern Gangwon Province offers the highest amount of 660,000 won each month.
The recommendations are not binding, but if implemented, they would bring the least combined monthly allowance of local and metropolitan governments to 230,000 won from the current 140,000 won, according to the ministry.
The recommendations apply to those whose average payouts fall short of the bottom 80 percent baseline — 120,000 won for basic local governments and 110,000 won for metropolitan governments.
They will also push the national average to 306,000 won if implemented, up from the current 268,000 won, the ministry said.