Court orders gov't to compensate late lieutenant colonel in 1979 military coup

A bust of Lt. Col. Kim Oh-rang is seen outside an elementary school in Gimhae, South Gyeongsang Province, Dec. 12, 2023. Yonhap

A Seoul court on Tuesday ruled in favor of the bereaved family of a late lieutenant colonel seeking compensation from the government over his death caused by rebelling forces during a military coup in 1979.

Late Lt. Col. Kim Oh-rang was killed in a gunfight while defending his commander against mutineers during the coup led by then Maj. Gen. Chun Doo-hwan on Dec. 12, 1979.

Chun, who died in 2021, seized power in the 1979 coup and became president the next year.

The Seoul Central District Court ordered the government to compensate the plaintiffs, including his sister and nine other family members, about 300 million won ($216,000) in total, lower than the 500 million won they had sought.

Kim's death was initially recorded as one in the line of duty, but it was changed to killed in action in 2022 by a presidential commission on military deaths.

Under military law, service members are defined as being killed in action if they die due to engagement with the enemy or while preventing disturbances to public peace, such as a rebellion.

Kim was the inspiration for actor Jung Hae-in's character in the historical drama film "12.12: The Day," released in 2023.