Anti-Corruption Commission Recommends Reconsideration of National Meritorious Status for Civil Servants Killed in Shooting

Two Public Officials Killed in Bonghwa County Hunting Rifle Rampage
"Mass-Targeted Gun Crimes Are Acts of Terrorism, Not Simple Offenses"

A decision has been made that a civil servant responsible for handling civil complaints, who died after being shot by a complainant, should be designated as a national meritorious person. The reasoning is that it is unfair to provide different levels of honor simply because, unlike soldiers or police officers, these workers do not wear uniforms. Moreover, gun crimes targeting multiple people should be regarded as acts of terrorism.

On the 24th, the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission announced that it had expressed its opinion to the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, recommending a re-examination of whether the two public officials killed in the Bonghwa County shooting incident in North Gyeongsang Province qualify as national meritorious persons, in response to a grievance filed by their bereaved families. The commission also recommended amending relevant laws to include victims of retaliatory crimes or terrorism as national meritorious persons.

Government Complex Sejong, Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission. Photo by Hyunmin Kim

The late Mr. Son and the late Mr. Lee, who were employees of Bonghwa County, were killed in August 2018 at the Socheon Township Office when a complainant, Mr. A, shot them with a hunting rifle. After the incident, they were designated as persons eligible for veterans’ compensation (public officials who died in the line of duty due to an accident), but were not recognized as national meritorious persons. Their families filed a petition with the Blue House, arguing that it is unjust to be discriminated against solely because they were not wearing uniforms, even though they died in the line of duty from gunshots.

The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission’s investigation concluded that the previous decision by the veterans’ authorities failed to consider the unique nature of the incident. Mr. A had a long-standing conflict with a neighbor and was dissatisfied with how his civil complaint was handled. He meticulously planned the crime for a year and murdered the victims, whom he had never met, with the stated aim of “killing the incompetent county governor and multiple public officials to publicize my grievances to society.” The commission found that the actions constituted terrorism rather than a simple crime, noting that Mr. A practiced shooting in his yard beforehand and then opened fire in an area densely populated with multi-use facilities such as police substations.

The commission pointed out that civil servants who perform public-facing duties are exposed to risks to their lives and safety, and that, unlike soldiers or police officers—who are recognized as national meritorious persons even if killed in shooting incidents during routine work—there is an issue of fairness. Based on these considerations, the commission recommended that the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs re-examine whether the victims should be registered as national meritorious persons. It also advised the ministry to consider revising the Enforcement Decree of the Act on Honorable Treatment and Support of Persons of Distinguished Service to the State, so that public officials killed in retaliatory crimes or acts of terrorism while performing their duties can be recognized as national meritorious persons.

Han Samsuk, Vice Chair and Secretary General of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, stated, “It is fortunate that a path has opened for restoring the honor of public officials who died unexpectedly while performing their duties,” and added, “We will devote our efforts to establishing a system that protects civil complaint officers by ensuring that institutions, not individuals, take responsibility for repeated or unusual civil complaints.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.