Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs Kwon Oh-eul speaks during an event held in central Seoul on April 30.MINISTRY OF PATRIOTS AND VETERANS AFFAIRS
Nearly 60 people stripped of their status as national merit recipients after committing crimes — including some convicted of murder and rape — have regained the designation, according to data from the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs on Sunday.
Of 405 people who lost their national merit status over the past six years after receiving prison sentences or more severe penalties, 59 regained their status after a ministry review, according to data submitted to People Power Party Rep. Park Jun-tae. A total of 1.32 billion won ($952,400) in compensation was paid over six years to them.
The Act on the Honorable Treatment of Persons of Distinguished Service to Independence allows those who have completed their sentences or been exempted from serving them to apply to regain their status after three years. The ministry’s review committee can approve reinstatement after considering factors including whether the applicant has shown remorse.
The reinstatements included 12 people convicted of serious crimes: four for murder and eight for sex crimes including rape and sexual assault.
A person sentenced to three years in prison for rape resulting in injury in 1971 regained national merit status after a review in 2021. The review cited the person’s advanced age, 47 years without a repeat offense and participation in an environmental cleanup program for older adults.
Another person sentenced to two years and six months in prison for rape also regained national merit status that year, in part because the person had received a commendation from a national association of freight truck operators.
A descendant of Korean independence activists living overseas visit a historic prison venue in western Seoul on Aug. 11. This photo is unrelated to the story.YONHAP
People convicted of murder or attempted murder have also regained national merit status. The ministry initially denied reinstatement to two people who lost their status in 2022 and 2023 for attempted murder and murder, respectively. Both later regained their status through administrative appeals.
Last year, a person convicted of murder also regained national merit status after a ministry review. The person, who had been stripped of the designation after receiving a 12-year prison sentence for murder, was reinstated based on factors including having no repeat offenses, 13 years of volunteer work, prostate cancer and advanced age.
Another person sentenced to seven years in prison for murder at the victim’s request regained national merit status after the committee considered factors including a disability certificate, chronic kidney disease, activities with the Korean Senior Citizens Association and advanced age.
“Decisions on whether to reinstate national merit recipients who lost their status over serious crimes should be based on clear and stringent standards, rather than vague criteria such as the ‘degree of remorse,’” Rep. Park said.
“Being recognized for national merit should not excuse criminal conduct, and such recognition must be accompanied by social responsibility and public trust.”
The ministry said the reinstatements followed legal precedent.
“Serious offenders were initially excluded from reconsideration,” a source from the Patriots Ministry said. “After a person convicted of attempted murder regained national merit status through an administrative appeal in 2022, the review committee had little choice but to take that precedent into account in its reviews,” the official said.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
