Former actor recognized as war veteran in US

Kim Bok-hee / Courtesy of Kim Bok-hee

Kim Bok-hee, 88, a former actress who served as a member of an armed forces entertainment group during the 1950-53 Korean War, has been recognized as a veteran of the war in the U.S. state of Georgia, Korea's Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission (ACRC) said.

According to the ACRC, Kim was recently recognized as a Korean War veteran by the state, following help from the rights commission. Following the recognition, she will be entitled to benefits available to war veterans among which are a veteran qualification on her driver’s license and specially designed vehicle license plates denoting her service.

Kim served as a member of a women’s army entertainment group when she was a middle school student performing in concerts for soldiers serving in the country.

In a contribution piece to the U.S.-based Korea Daily in 2014, she recalled that she and two of her friends joined the military after the Battle of Incheon in September 1950, singing for frontline units until allied forces retreated back to Busan in early 1951.

After the war, she became an actor and starred in hit Korean TV shows, such as “Country Diaries” and “See and See Again” and won Baeksang Arts Awards in 1982 following her appearance in a play. She appeared in TV shows until the early 2000s and then moved to the United States. She now lives in Atlanta.

In 2020 and 2021, the state of Georgia implemented bills on authorizing specially designated license plates and driver's licenses for war veterans living in Georgia who served in the military of a U.S. ally during World War I or II, the Korean War or the Vietnam War.

Kim also sought to be honored as a veteran, and asked the Korean government to issue an English certification of her service. However, she couldn’t gain the status because the date of birth in her service registration records was different from her actual date of birth.

To address her difficulties, the ACRC revised her service record based on her statements and other documents and issued a correct service certification.

This is not the first case of the ACRC helping Georgia-based Korean Americans to obtain their veterans mark.

Since the bill’s implementation, the ACRC has assisted 47 Korean War veterans to acquire their service certifications so that they can receive proper recognition.

Due to this, Georgia State Senator Ed Harbison and State Rep. Bill Hitchens visited Korea last year to express gratitude for the ACRC’s efforts.

“The country is responsible to properly honor the Korean War veterans who devoted their youth to the country,” ACRC Vice Chairperson Kim Tae-gyu said.

“The ACRC will spare no efforts to help those who sacrificed themselves for the country so they can receive due respect whether they are in Korea or not.”