Vietnam War veterans to be given highest honor: officials

By Sam Kim
SEOUL, Sept. 2 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will honor its Vietnam War veterans by
awarding them the highest title given to those that have served the country,
officials said Wednesday.

Hundreds of thousands of South Korean soldiers took part in the war from
1964-1973, fighting alongside U.S. troops in an operation aimed at underpinning
the alliance between Seoul and Washington.
The former soldiers have been designated as "war veterans," though they may now
be promoted to "patriots and veterans," a higher recognition once given only to
those wounded or killed, said Sim Ji-young at the Ministry of Patriots and
Veterans Affairs.
The revision of the related law will be formally proposed for parliamentary
approval later this month, Lee Nam-il, a director at the same organization in
Seoul, said.
"We believe there has been enough social and political consensus to embrace their
decades-long calls for the honor," he said.
Nearly 5,000 South Korean soldiers died while about 10,000 others were wounded
during the Vietnam War.
Veterans of the 1950-53 Korean War were also promoted last year to "patriots and
veterans" status, according to Lee. He denied that the change of power early last
year to a government more hard-line on North Korea may have led to the change.
War veterans receive medical, financial and other benefits that can be partly
extended to their family members.
samkim@yna.co.kr
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