Awards Revoked for 167 Individuals Involved in May 18 Suppression and Fabricated Espionage Cases

Interior Ministry: 198 Inappropriate Government Awards Revoked

The government awards received by individuals involved in the December 12 military coup, the suppression of the May 18 Democratization Movement, martial law work between 1980 and 1981, and fabricated espionage cases are set to be revoked en masse.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced on the 21st that the cabinet meeting held on this day reviewed and approved a resolution to revoke such awards. The government will revoke a total of 198 awards that were conferred upon 167 individuals.

Specifically, 76 honors and decorations (awarded to 76 individuals) conferred in 1980-1981 for involvement in the December 12 military coup, the suppression of the May 18 Democratization Movement, and martial law work will be revoked. In addition, 122 awards (awarded to 91 individuals)—including orders, decorations, Presidential Citations, and Prime Minister’s Citations related to fabricated espionage cases that occurred from the 1960s to the 1990s—will also be revoked.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety has been working with the Ministry of National Defense, the National Police Agency, and the National Intelligence Service to correct government awards given to those involved in unconstitutional acts and fabricated espionage cases. The ministry has shared award records and cabinet meeting records with the relevant agencies. In turn, the agencies have carried out detailed reviews of the reasons for cancellation, notified the parties in advance, and held special committees for awards screening as part of the administrative process.

Award revocations confirmed this time include four awards granted to Park Cheowon, former Chief of the Division of Public Security Investigation at the National Police Headquarters, who was the chief official at the Namyeong-dong Public Safety Bureau: one Green Stripes Order of Service Merit, one Red Stripes Order of Service Merit, and two Presidential Citations. In addition, a Prime Minister's Citation granted to Lee Geunan, the ‘torture technician’ who died in March this year, has also been revoked.

This is the third round of government award revocations this year, following the January cancellation of 11 awards—including Orders of National Security Merit—related to individuals involved in the Gumi Overseas Students Espionage Case, the Incheon Mibeopdo Espionage Case, and the Guro Farm Land Fraud Lawsuit, and the March cancellation of 10 military honors awarded to participants in the December 12 military coup.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety stated, "We plan to pro-actively identify and continuously revoke inappropriate government awards related to unconstitutional acts and fabricated espionage cases in the future as well."

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