Choi Woon-gi, 64, the son of a veteran who fought in the Korean War, recently learned that unopened nameplates reading "Home of a person of national merit" were being sold online for 50,000 to 70,000 won. He said he was shocked that nameplates made to express gratitude and respect for persons of national merit had become objects of transaction.
Choi said, "I have strong pride that my father is a person of national merit who defended the country, so it is regrettable that the nameplates are subject to transaction," adding, "If the full name of the person of national merit is engraved on the nameplate, there will be fewer cases of buying and selling."
Spurred by Choi's raising of the issue, the government has begun reviewing ways to improve the nameplate program for persons of national merit.
As of the 29th, according to reporting by ChosunBiz, the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs is considering including the name of the honoree on the nameplate for persons of national merit. An official at the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs (MPVA) said, "As cases have occurred in which nameplates are the subject of transaction online, we are reviewing various options, such as listing the name for those who want it at the time of production."
Until now, the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs (MPVA) has not separately included names on the nameplates for persons of national merit. Because the nameplates are affixed to the front of homes, the ministry viewed that exposing full names could raise concerns about personal safety or invasion of privacy.
However, as cases of nameplates for persons of national merit becoming the subject of transaction online have repeated in recent years, calls for countermeasures have continued. In Feb., the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs (MPVA) sent official letters to major secondhand transaction platforms, including Karrot and Joonggonara, requesting that they designate nameplates for persons of national merit as prohibited items for transaction. The ministry also asked for cooperation so that sales posts can be deleted immediately when discovered.
Since then, it has become difficult to find posts selling the "Home of a person of national merit" nameplate on major secondhand transaction platforms. However, it is not easy to block all transactions on general online communities that are not public platforms or between individuals.
It is also difficult for the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs (MPVA) to check one by one whether the distributed nameplates are actually affixed. As of the end of last year, about 576,000 nameplates for persons of national merit had been distributed nationwide.
Nameplates for persons of national merit are produced for the honoree and one next-of-kin with priority. There are four types: persons of national merit, independence patriots, democracy merit honorees, and special mission merit honorees, and the competent veterans office delivers them without a separate application. After delivery, post-management is conducted by replacing or repairing them in case of damage or loss.
However, it is expected to take time before the method of including names is actually introduced. This is because the nameplates are not produced individually each time a person of national merit is newly registered; instead, a certain quantity is produced in advance and then issued.
A government official said, "We do not produce a nameplate every time one honoree is registered; rather, we give pre-produced nameplates to registered honorees, so it will not be easy to introduce this immediately."