A government employee who passed away in a car accident while fixing a streetlight in 2008 was finally laid to rest in a national cemetery after 18 years, as advised by the Anti-corruption and Civil Rights Commission.
As per the commission’s statement on the 20th, the funeral service for the late Bae Jong-seop, a former government employee from Wansan District in Jeonju, Jeollabuk-do, took place earlier that day at the National Daejeon Hyochang Cemetery located in Dongjak-gu, Seoul. Approximately 50 attendees, including relatives, Han Sam-seok, Vice Chairman and Secretary-General of the commission, and Wansan District Mayor Kook Seung-cheol, were present at the event.
Bae, who was born in 1968, began his career as an electrical engineer public official in 1991 and served for 17 years. On February 29, 2008, he fell from a high work platform while fixing a streetlight, suffered head injuries, and passed away the following day. The accident occurred due to a collision between a moving crane vehicle and the work platform.
The Wansan District, the Government Employees Pension Service, and the Veterans Benefits Review Committee all acknowledged Bae’s death as occurring in the line of duty. Nevertheless, the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs (previously known as the Agency for National Patriots and Veterans Affairs) decided in December 2013 that Bae did not qualify for burial in a national cemetery. After the grieving family asked for a reconsideration, the ministry returned the paperwork, and even though the Wansan District requested burial, the ministry denied it, noting, “This case was already determined to be ineligible.”
Bae’s wife submitted a request to the commission in November, pleading, “Please assist my husband in being buried at a national cemetery.” The commission’s inquiry found that Bae met the criteria for burial under the National Cemetery Act, as he passed away while engaged in a hazardous assignment. There was no legal justification to refuse his burial according to either the regulations in place at that time or present-day laws.
In February, the commission advised the ministry to reassess Bae’s qualifications, and the ministry agreed with the suggestion, classifying him as eligible for burial in March.
Han Sam-seok, the vice chairman of the committee, said, “The government should recognize public servants who lost their lives while carrying out hazardous tasks to safeguard the public. In order to highlight the importance of veterans’ matters, where extraordinary sacrifices warrant unique compensation, we will strive to address relevant civil grievances.”
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