politics
South Korea to Award Posthumous Military Honor to Officer Killed in 1979 Coup
The veterans ministry said Tuesday that Lt. Col. Kim Oh-rang will receive the Order of Military Merit. The award replaces an earlier honor canceled earlier this year.
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The veterans ministry announced Tuesday that a late Army officer killed during the December 1979 military coup will receive the Order of Military Merit. Lt. Col. Kim Oh-rang will be honored for defending his commander against mutineers during the coup led by then Maj.
Gen. Chun Doo-hwan. The decision was approved at a Cabinet meeting earlier in the day. Officials canceled the Order of National Security Merit awarded to Kim in March to confer the higher distinction instead.
In 2022 the defense ministry reclassified Kim's death as killed in action rather than died in line of duty. Military law defines killed in action as death during hostile engagement or while suppressing armed rebellions. A bust of the officer stands near the elementary school he attended in Gimhae, South Gyeongsang Province, about 330 kilometers south of Seoul.
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