Ministry of Veterans Tells Korean War Hero General Paik Sun-yup No Burial Plot at Seoul National Cemetery

2020-5-27, Chosun Ilbo [Translation]

It became known on May 26, 2020 that the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs recently visited the hero of the Korean War, General Paik Sun-yup (백선엽) and said, “If the National Cemetery Act (국립묘지법) is revised, [we’re] worried that General Paik could be interred at the National Cemetery in Seoul, only to be pulled out.”  General Paik is 100 years old this year and his ability to move has been known to have degraded.  The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs said, “I heard that General Baek’s health is not good, so we wanted to ask about his general health status,” but General Paik’s family said “Our family is considering even the most evil scenario.”

According to General Baek’s side, a Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs employee visited on May 13, 2020.  General Baek’s side said, “There was usually no contact from the government, but the official said it was ‘a request from the Blue House’ and that the Ministry of Defense recently asked the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans for the general’s contribution and his family’s information of the general” and “two Ministry of Patriots and Veterans officials paid a visit to the [general’s] office after the request.”  General Baek recently became 100 years old, but his health deteriorated rapidly.  The visitors said, “We’re concerned about the general’s condition,” and brought up the issue of the burial plot.

General Baek’s side said, “The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans employees said if General Paik passes away, there is no choice, but to inter him at the National Cemetery in Daejeon.”  As the symbolism of General Baek, the hero of the Korean War, was large, the government had originally considered burying the general at the National Cemetery in Seoul, not in Daejeon.  At present, there is no plot in ‘the general’s burial zone’ of Seoul National Cemetery, but it is known that the government considered the “National Meritorious Person’s Zone (1 pyong=36 square feet).”  However, after the administration changed, the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans’ position became, “There is no generals’ burial zone” at Seoul National Cemetery.”

The bigger problems are the remarks that followed. General Paik’s side said, “the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans employees implied that “before the general election [April 15, 2020], Kim Won-woong (김원웅), Chairman of the Liberation Association (광복회), issued a survey regarding the revision of the National Cemetery Law, and if this law passes, then we’re worried that the general will be pulled out of the cemetery after being buried there.”

The Liberation Association conducted a survey of [National Assembly] candidates shortly before the April 15th general election, asking whether they supported or opposed the Amendment to  the National Cemetery Act, which states, ‘Move the graves of the pro-Japan, anti-minjok [Korean] figures interred in the National Cemetery and install tombstones describing their pro-Japan activities.”

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Source:  https://news.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2020/05/27/2020052700104.html