A "preparation committee" has been started to facilitate the establishment of the "Association of Veterans for Peace," the stated purpose of which will be to reform the culture of the military and define an independent view of national security. The committee says it is not going to be just a cheap alternative to the Korean Veterans Association (KVA), but will be "a new veterans organization, one called for by the times." If it gets started on schedule next month Korea will no longer have just one big veterans group as it has for more than fifty years. The United States also has more than one veterans organization.
"Veterans for Peace" is already controversial, and it will probably continue to be so for some time to come. That is because of the character of an organization related in various ways to the military, at a time when the military confrontation continues despite an atmosphere of peaceful reunification. The KVA has expelled from its membership interim president Pyo Myeong Ryeol, as has the Seonguhoe, a reserve generals' group, and the 18th Class of Graduates of the Army Academy. One sees that as an expression of that sense of crisis unique to groups related to the military, the result of Korea's security climate.
Even if you take that into consideration, however, the attitude displayed by KVA and Seonguhoe seems to show that they continue to be behind when it comes to changes in Korean society and new historical trends and that is unfortunate. The new organization is not without sensitive ideas such as "cooperation between veterans of North and South," but goals such as "fostering a strong military through improvements in civil rights in the military" and the "restoration of honor and just reward for war veterans and soldiers who have suffered suspicious deaths" are not things groups related to the military should simply be rejecting. KVA is ignoring the goals of "Veterans for Peace" and declaring those behind it to be "motivated by political ambitions and have committed pro-North, and anti-American betrayal, forgetting what is becoming of reserve generals." KVA is narrow-minded for saying so. One hopes to see the two groups engage in healthy competition and by doing so respond to the spirit of the times with a whole new approach.
The Hankyoreh, 18 August 2005.
[Translations by Seoul Selection (PMS)]
[Editorial] Having Two Veterans Groups is Inevitable |
