The veterans ministry seeks to strengthen ties with countries that backed South Korea during the 1950-53 Korean War by hosting a veterans affairs ministerial meeting this year, its new minister has said. Minister Kang Jung-ai outlined the task among policy priorities for the recently upgraded ministry in an interview with Yonhap News Agency on Wednesday after being sworn into office on Dec. 26. In July, the ministry hosted its first ministerial meeting on veterans affairs in Busan, 320 kilometers southeast of Seoul, to mark the 70th anniversary of the signing of the war's armistice. It brought together representatives from the 22 countries that sent troops or other forms of support to South Korea during the war. "We are planning to hold a meeting of all the veterans ministers of the 22 countries that took part in the war this year," she said. "This type of veterans affairs diplomacy is public diplomacy that only the Republic of Korea can conduct." "We will raise the Republic of Korea's profile through s uch veterans affairs diplomacy," she said, referring to South Korea by its official name. The 22 countries, including the United States, Australia and Britain, sent nearly 2 million troops and medical personnel to support South Korea in the war in total. Of them, 40,803 were killed and 103,460 wounded, according to ministry data. The ministry is considering holding the event in July in time for the anniversary of the armistice signing on July 27, or in November on the occasion of a major remembrance ceremony for fallen U.N. troops on Nov. 11. The upcoming ministerial meeting will take place as the veterans ministry has pushed to strengthen its role following its upgrade into a full-fledged ministry last June under President Yoon Suk Yeol's pledge to bolster efforts to reward people of distinguished service. As part of the efforts, Kang, a daughter of a Korean War veteran, vowed to push for policies in a "future-oriented" way by not only honoring the past but also those currently in uniform. "We are able to live our daily lives due to those in uniform, such as soldiers, police officers and firefighters," she said. "We have to recognize their precious roles and honor them accordingly." Kang also touched on recent controversies faced by the ministry stemming from conflicting assessments of historic figures involved in the country's independence movement against Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule, vowing to move beyond divisive issues and into the future. The ministry most recently faced controversy over its selection of the country's first President Rhee Syng-man, a divisive figure over his 12-year authoritarian rule, as January's independence activist of the month. Kang said she learned of the selection only after she was nominated to office but defended the move, citing Rhee's activities in the independence movement. "He was the first president of the Provisional Government and the first president after the government was established," she said. "In that sense, President Rhee Syng-man is a person of distinguis hed service for the country's independence." Rhee's supporters credit him for laying the foundation for a free democracy, while critics accuse him of being a dictator during his rule before he was ousted after a pro-democracy civil uprising in 1960. Kang also hailed Hong Beom-do, a leader of Korean independence forces, for his contributions to the independence movement against Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule, but acknowledged the controversy stemming from his ties to Soviet forces. Last year, the defense ministry outlined a push to relocate a bust of Hong at the Korea Military Academy to the Independence Hall under the veterans ministry's management, citing Hong's ties to Soviet communist forces. The move sparked fierce debate over its legitimacy and strong protests from the opposition Democratic Party and advocates for independence fighters. "We definitely have to honor Gen. Hong Beom-do, but the recent controversy over his history is a reality," she said. "We have yet to receive contact (over the relocat ion), but if there are requests in the future, we will make an appropriate decision by looking over our regulations." Hong is known for leading Korean independence forces and spearheading major victories against Japanese troops in 1920. He moved to Russia the following year to seek refuge from Japanese forces. He was forced to relocate to current-day Kazakhstan in 1937 under then Soviet leader Joseph Stalin's policy, along with many other ethnic Koreans before his death in 1943. Source: Yonhap News Agency
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