Leftists Yeo and Cho Will also Be Decorated

On the Anniversary of the Samil (3/1) Independence Movement, the Presidential Medal, the second grade of Order of Merit for the National Foundation, will be conferred on Yeo Woon-hyung, whose pen name is Mongyang, a major leftist fighter for national independence.

According to the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs (MPVA) yesterday, the Merit-Judging Commission recently held their final meeting to determine leftist people of national merit, including Mongyang, for a decoration. The commission also concluded that the Independent Medal and Patriotic Medal should be conferred on other leftists, such as Cho Dong-ho, a member of the Chosun Communist Party, Kim Jae-bong, a responsible secretary of the second Chosun Communist Party, and Kwon Oh-yeon, the leader of the Yooksip (6/10) Independence Movement.

The leftists will be decorated on the anniversary of the Samil (3/1) Independence Movement through sanction of a cabinet meeting and the president, after the MPVA officially recommends them for a decoration to the Ministry of Government Administration and House Affairs this week.

“It cannot be acceptable that Mongyang will be decorated with the Presidential Medal, lower in grade than the first-grade Republic of Korea Medal”, said Mongyang’s bereaved family and admirers, reacting violently.

“That the government decided to confer the Order of Merit for National Foundation on Mongyang has the same logical meaning as Park Heon-young and Kim Il-sung being awarded as people of national merit,” said the Liberal-Democratic National Committee (executive chairman: Lee Chul-seung), urging for a revocation of the government’s decision.

Sang-Ho Yun ysh1005@donga.com