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| President Yoon Suk Yeol signs bills to upgrade the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs (MPVA) to a full-functioning ministry during a ceremony at the presidential office in Yongsan District, Seoul, Thursday. Foreign Minister Park Jin, left, and Park Min-shik, second from right, minister of Patriots and Veteran Affairs, also attended the event. Yonhap |
By Nam Hyun-woo
President Yoon Suk Yeol signed bills, Thursday, upgrading the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs (MPVA) to a full-fledged ministry and establishing a new agency in charge of affairs related to overseas Koreans.
This is the first time that Korea held a presidential ceremony signing bills authorizing changes in the government's structure. The presidential office said it held the ceremony reflecting Yoon's intention to properly honor patriots and veterans and show that the president is keeping his promise.
"If we don't remember those who devoted themselves properly for our nation, there will be no future for the country," Yoon said during the signing ceremony.
"The dazzling prosperity that we enjoy today is possible because patriotic heroes have protected freedom by putting their lives on the line."
Although the MPVA is described as a ministry in its English name, it is a level lower than other ministries and does not have the same authority. Its minister is not a member of the Cabinet and it does not have the authority to issue its own ministerial decrees.
During his presidential campaign, Yoon pledged to upgrade the MPVA to a proper ministry, in order to empower it to pursue policies that can properly honor veterans and patriots.
"The most important duty of the MPVA is spreading the culture of honoring and respecting those who sacrificed and devoted their lives for the country," Yoon said. "The government will spare no efforts to fulfill its responsibility of respecting the heroes."
Following Yoon's approval, the changes will be promulgated as law. The MPVA will spend 90 days to prepare for the upgrade and will officially begin operating as a proper ministry on June 5. During this process, Yoon must name the minister and the current head, Park Min-shik, is likely to assume the position.
The overseas Koreans agency will succeed the functions of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' overseas Koreans policy department and the Overseas Koreans Foundation. It will be set up under the foreign ministry in June.
"The establishment of the overseas Koreans agency is one of the pledges I made whenever I met Koreans overseas," Yoon said. "The government will come up with improved policies on overseas Koreans tailored to the regions in which they reside."
It remains uncertain where the new agency will be located, but the cities of Incheon and Gwangju have both expressed their hopes to house it. However, the foreign ministry said Thursday it believes Seoul will be the best location, given the degree of accessibility for overseas Koreans.
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