(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Kim Jun-tae = On the 30th, a day before Armed Forces Day (October 1), the city of Seoul held a meeting with five young injured veterans at the Garden of Gratitude at Gwanghwamun Square.
It was established with the purpose of ensuring that young people who are injured while dedicating themselves to the country are not left alone and that their lives after discharge from the military are also looked after responsibly.
In particular, as injured soldiers have recently occurred due to landmine explosions in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), the city of Seoul plans to further refine its policy to support injured soldiers based on the voices of young injured veterans.
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon mentioned soldiers injured in landmine explosions at a meeting that day and said, "I don't know where the resident registration will be, but in fact, there are limits to this (support project) being promoted only at the local government level. We have no choice but to go this way for now, but if other local governments across the country follow suit, I think the government will eventually take action."
Mayor Oh also posted on Facebook that day, saying, "As I listened to the stories of young people going back to their daily lives after being injured while protecting the country, I thought again about how we should treat them with respect. It is the responsibility of all of us to ensure that these young people can live with the respect they deserve."
He emphasized, "We should not stop at remembering heroes. How a country takes responsibility for its heroes shows the dignity of the country," and added, "Seoul City will be with the wounded soldiers and discharged soldiers until the end so that they can live with pride."
Mayor Oh prayed for the recovery of the soldiers injured in the landmine explosion, while criticizing the government, saying, "As the investigation and explanation of the circumstances of the accident were delayed, the anxiety of the soldiers and their families as well as the public increased."
He continued, "It remains to clearly hold North Korea accountable. There is no reason to look the other way on North Korea when the lives and safety of our people are at stake," and urged, "The government must establish principles and respond resolutely to actions that threaten the security of the Republic of Korea."
Prior to the meeting, Mayor Oh and the young injured veterans toured the ‘Freedom Hall’, an underground media exhibition space in the Garden of Gratitude, and the above-ground symbolic sculpture ‘Light of Gratitude 23’.
The city explained that the Garden of Gratitude is a space to remember the dedication of veterans and participating countries in the Korean War and to reflect on the values of freedom and peace.
Light of Gratitude 23 is made up of 23 sculptures symbolizing the 22 countries that participated in the war and the Republic of Korea, and Freedom Hall tells the stories of veterans through media content.
In March 2022, the city established the 'Youth Injured Veteran Counseling Center' for the first time among local governments nationwide.
The center, which was created to reflect the voices of young injured veterans, such as Captain Lee Ju-eun, who was injured in a landmine explosion during an operation in 2019, provides support for reintegration into society, from legal counseling for registration as a person of national merit to psychological recovery and connection to employment and entrepreneurship.
As of August this year, the city explained that legal support was provided in 676 cases and psychological support, including personal psychological counseling and self-help meetings, was provided 126 times.
In addition, housing support such as ‘National Constitution Application Youth Housing’, which is a purchased rental house exclusively for young injured veterans, will continue.
In the youth real estate brokerage fee and moving cost support project, young injured veterans are included in the priority support list to ease their housing burden.
The city announced that it would supplement the center's functions and existing support projects based on the opinions expressed at the meeting.
In particular, the plan is to promote policy improvement at the city level and suggestions for improving the central government's system so that the courtesy of injured soldiers does not stop at treatment or registration as persons of national merit but leads to their stable return to society.
