Veterans Affairs Minister Kwon Oh-eul characterized a recent North Korean land mine explosion in the Demilitarized Zone along the western front as a provocation by North Korea, speaking at a parliamentary audit. He declined to comment, however, on President Lee Jae-myung's description of the incident as an "unforeseen accident." Lawmakers also called for institutional changes and legislation to address uneven supplementary veterans allowances paid by local governments.
Kwon gave the assessment on the 6th at the National Assembly Political Affairs Committee's audit of the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, responding to a question from Rep. Shin Dong-wook of the People Power Party. Speaking about the soldiers wounded in the blast, Kwon said they "were victims of a provocation by the North" and pledged that the ministry would "actively review the cases of the wounded soldiers going forward."
Asked whether he considered it appropriate for President Lee to have called the mine explosion an "unforeseen accident" at the Armed Forces Day ceremony, Kwon demurred, saying it "is not appropriate for a minister to comment on the president's remarks."
Rep. Park Jun-tae of the People Power Party, a member of the committee, took issue with Kwon's reference to North Korea by its official state name, the "Democratic People's Republic of Korea," at a press briefing in May. "They say it is the name used when North Korea joins the United Nations or signs various agreements with the Republic of Korea, but this is speaking on North Korea's behalf," Park said. "This government has far too many ministers who cannot call North Korea North Korea, or call the principal enemy the principal enemy."
Kwon pushed back, saying that "every administration since the Roh Tae-woo government has used the official state names of the two Koreas in formal diplomatic documents." He explained that "in the process of pursuing the project to recover the remains of the patriot Ahn Jung-geun, China is requiring North Korea's consent, and I judged that to obtain that consent it was right to refer to the country by its state name." He added, "In everyday usage I say North Korea, but when matters become official I believe it is correct to use the state name."
Democratic Party lawmakers argued that the ministry's veterans allowances were inequitable and called for corrective measures, saying the gaps between supplementary allowances paid by individual local governments, on top of the veterans benefits provided by the central government, were excessive. "The problem is that there is no minimum direction or standard," said Rep. Park Hong-bae of the Democratic Party. "The allowance structure is excessively complex, and making eligible recipients look it up and apply on their own does not seem like an honor befitting them." Yoo Dong-soo, chairman of the Political Affairs Committee, said the issue "was also raised at last year's parliamentary audit," adding that "it appears institutional improvement is needed, and if necessary we may have to go as far as legislation."
