The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs has proposed a 2027 budget of 7조 2,190억 won.
That is an increase of 5,320억 won, or 8.0%, from this year’s initial budget.
Specifically, how much will the allowances paid to war veterans and bereaved families of independence activists increase?
3-Line Summary
1. The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs’ budget proposal for next year is up 8%.
2. The monthly veterans’ allowance will be 49만원, rising to 54만원 next year.
3. It must pass review by the National Assembly before it is finalized.
Veterans’ Allowances and Compensation Will Increase by This Much
The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs announced on the 3rd that it had prepared a 2027 budget proposal containing these measures. Compensation for national merit honorees will increase by 5.0%, while the veterans’ honor allowance, military merit honor allowance, and 4·19 Revolution merit allowance will each rise by 5만원. The veterans’ allowance will increase from 49만원 per month to 54만원, the military merit allowance from 55만~57만원 to 60만~62만원, and the 4·19 merit allowance from 50만 1천원 to 55만 1천원. Compensation for surviving patriotic activists and bereaved families of independence activists will also increase by an additional 5.0% and 3.0%, respectively. Compensation for patriotic activists will be adjusted from 157만 1천~792만 4천원 per month to 172만 8천~871만 6천원, while compensation for bereaved families of independence activists will rise from 98만~351만 1천원 to 105만 8천~379만 2천원. Compensation for seventh-grade wounded veterans and allowances for newly succeeding children of Korean War veterans will also rise by 3.5% and 8.7%, respectively, changing from 70만 8천원 to 76만 8천원 and from 65만 7천원 to 74만 7천원. In particular, starting in January next year, the scope of recognition for bereaved families of independence activists will be expanded to at least the second generation, and approximately 2,500 people will newly receive compensation.
The Budget Will Also Be Used to Lower Barriers to Hospital Care
To enable aging national merit honorees to receive medical care close to home, the number of contracted medical institutions will increase from 1,200 in 2026 to 1,400 in 2027, with plans to add 200 institutions annually through 2030, expanding the total to 2,000. This is twice the scale of 2025. The age criterion for support at contracted hospitals will also be lowered from 75 to 65, allowing younger merit honorees and bereaved family members to use contracted hospitals. In Gangwon and Jeju, where there are no veterans hospitals, the government will support the establishment of quasi-veterans hospitals.
Additional Personnel Will Be Assigned to Investigate Overseas Historic Sites
The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs has been conducting a comprehensive investigation, from March this year through 2028, into 1,032 overseas historic sites related to the independence movement scattered across 24 countries. However, the World일보 reported last month that there had been criticism that the investigation would be difficult to carry out thoroughly because the number of personnel from the Independence Hall of Korea assigned to it was initially only 8. In response, the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs announced plans to involve outside experts and increase staffing, and related funding has also been included in this budget proposal.
It Is Only a Budget Proposal and Has Not Yet Been Finalized
The 7조 2,190억 won proposed this time is a budget proposal that the government will submit to the National Assembly. Actual payments and project scale may be adjusted during the National Assembly’s budget review, so these figures are not final. Veterans’ beneficiaries and their families may use the announced increases as a reference, but the final status should be checked again through an announcement by the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs after the budget passes the National Assembly.
References
Tags #MinistryOfPatriotsAndVeteransAffairs #2027BudgetProposal #VeteransAllowance #MilitaryMeritHonorAllowance #BereavedFamiliesOfIndependenceActivists #VeteransHospital #ContractedMedicalInstitutions #NationalMeritCompensation #KwonOh-eul #VeteransBudget #4·19RevolutionMeritAllowance #NationalCemetery
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