On October 18, the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs announced that it will collaborate with the Ministry of Health and Welfare to locate and support 1,740 national meritorious persons and others who were not charged burial fees for facilities other than national cemeteries. This is the result of cross-checking the death information of national meritorious persons and others with burial information from funeral facilities. The targets are bereaved families who did not apply because they were unaware of the system, and the veterans’ office will send out notifications first.
1. What kind of support is it: Actual expenses within 1 million KRW per person for burial facility usage fees
If a person of national merit is interred in a location other than a national cemetery, the state provides partial support for the costs. The legal basis is Article 2, Item 5 of the “Enforcement Decree of the Act on the Honorable Treatment and Support of Persons of National Merit.”
- In case of interment in a grave: Tombstone production costs or cemetery usage fees/management fees
- In case of interment in burial facilities other than a grave: Usage fees and management fees for the relevant burial facility, such as a charnel house, columbarium wall, or natural burial site
- Support Limit: Actual expenses within 1 million KRW per person (per grave)
- Exclusions: Cases where interment is in a national cemetery, or cases where usage fees were waived or used for free, resulting in no actual fees paid
The enforcement decree clause that expanded the support scope to include charnel house and natural burial site costs was implemented with the amendment in August 2024, while the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs press release states the implementation date of the support system as January 1, 2023. This current investigation also targets those who passed away after January 2023.
2. Who is eligible?
The eligible recipients described in the press release are persons of national merit who, after their death, were interred in a location other than a national cemetery.
- Patriotic martyrs, fallen/died in the line of duty military personnel, wounded/disabled in action military personnel, recipients of Order of Military Merit/Order of National Security Merit
- Korean War volunteer students residing in Japan, victims and contributors of the April 19 Revolution
- Deceased/disabled civil servants in the line of duty, deceased/disabled persons and contributors who made special contributions to national and social development
- June 18 Freedom wounded, May 18 Democracy merit recipients
For those not included in the above list, such as war veterans, ⚠️ it is necessary to check with the competent veterans office to see if they fall within the scope of this support.
3. How to apply: Competent local veterans office, actual payment proof is key
The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs plans to guide the bereaved family members regarding the support details and application methods, and after receiving applications, it will verify whether the burial facilities were used and whether the usage fees were actually paid at the competent local veterans office. Applications can be made in person or by mail.
The following materials are recommended to prepare in advance:
- Application for Support for Burial Facility Usage Fees (Form available at the competent local veterans office; ⚠️ check the specific attachment form number)
- Burial facility usage contract or usage permit (Ossuary, natural burial site, etc.)
- Receipts or bank transfer records proving the actual payment of usage fees and management fees
- Family relationship documents proving that the applicant is a bereaved family member
- A copy of the bankbook under the name of the applicant who will receive the support funds
The exact application form, list of submission documents, and application deadline are not specified in the press release. ⚠️ You must check with the competent local veterans office or the Veterans Counseling Center.
4. Points for the Bereaved Family to Check
- Even if you have not received guidance, if a family member of a national merit recipient was interred in a private ossuary or a public natural burial site and paid usage fees after 2023, it is faster to inquire directly with the competent veterans office.
- Keep your receipts: Since support is provided within the amount actually paid, do not discard receipts received from funeral halls or burial facilities. If you have lost them, first check if you can request a payment confirmation from the burial facility.
- If the usage fee exceeds 1 million won, support will only be provided up to 1 million won.
- In cases where the person passed away without being registered as a national merit recipient, you must consider applying for bereaved family registration separately from this support. An administrative agent (administrative scrivener) can assist with preparing the registration application and required documents.
This post is an administrative trend guide organized by the Hwang Yunsang administrative agent (administrative scrivener) office based on publicly available data. Whether this applies to individual cases requires verification with the competent authorities.