Murderers and Sex Offenders Restored to 'Meritorious' Status?… 1.3 Billion Won Paid in Compensation After Showing 'Remorse'

It has been confirmed that individuals who were stripped of their national merit status due to heinous crimes such as murder and sexual assault have regained their qualifications through re-examinations by the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs.

According to data submitted by the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs to People Power Party lawmaker Park Jun-tae, a total of 405 individuals lost their meritorious status over the past six years after being sentenced to imprisonment without prison labor or heavier punishment.

During the same period, 59 individuals regained their meritorious status. Under the Independence Meritorious Persons Act, three years after the completion or exemption of a prison sentence, individuals can reacquire their status through a resolution by the Patriots and Veterans Affairs Review Committee, taking into consideration expressions of remorse.

However, it was revealed that even ex-convicts who committed serious crimes such as murder and sexual assault had their meritorious status restored.

Over the past six years, 12 individuals, including four who committed murder and eight who committed sex crimes such as sexual assault and indecency, reacquired their meritorious status.

An individual who was finalized with a three-year prison sentence for attempted rape causing injury in 1971 regained their national merit status through a review in 2021, citing reasons such as no record of reoffending for 47 years and advanced age.

An individual sentenced to two years and six months in prison for rape in the same year also recovered their status, taking into consideration factors such as receiving a commendation from the Korea Freight Transport Association.

It was also found that a murder offender recovered their meritorious status last year following an internal review by the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs.

An individual who was stripped of their meritorious status after receiving a 12-year prison sentence for murder recovered their national merit status due to reasons such as no record of reoffending, 13 years of volunteer work experience, and advanced age.

Compensation payments disbursed over six years to the 59 individuals who reacquired their status in this manner amount to 1.32 billion won.

The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs explained, "Although heinous criminals were initially excluded from re-examination targets, an attempted murder offender reacquired their qualifications through an administrative trial in 2022, leaving the Patriots and Veterans Affairs Review Committee with no choice but to pre-reflect that judicial precedent in its reviews."

Reported by Jung Da-eun | Video by Lee Yu-jin | Graphics by Lee Jung-ju | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.