Wife of dead policeman offered job

Wang, second to left, widow of a dead police officer, receives an award from President Park Geun-hye on the 69th Police Day on October 21. / Yonhap

The widow of a dead police officer was offered a special job position at a police station in southern Korea.

Surnamed Wang, the woman, 51, cared for her husband Shin Jong-hwan during his years in a vegetative state, according to the Gwangju Local Police Agency.

Shin was in hospital for 14 years after suffering brain damage in a car accident that happened while he was chasing a suspect in 2001,

He was dismissed from his post after a year in hospital.

According to the South Korean law, the family of a dead police officer qualifies for financial compensation only in the case of death within three years of an accident. Shin's family had taken care of him for 14 years.

Gwangju Police Agency has now offered Wang a position as welfare officer at Gwangsan Police Station.

"I feel comfortable working where my husband used to, and I wish to look after fellow police officers _ especially their health," Wang told Yonhap News Agency.