The government will push to double the minimum condolence payment for public officials who died in the line of duty and raise the survivors' pension rate by 4 percentage points. It will also allow public officials who suffered an accident to take leave for up to eight years.
The Ministry of Personnel Management on the 14th announced a comprehensive plan to improve the disaster compensation system for public officials.
The plan centers on strengthening the state's responsibility for public officials who sacrificed themselves for the people and building a protection system that allows public officials to focus on their duties. It consists of five areas of improvement tasks: ▲ enhanced compensation and honors ▲ support for rehabilitation and return to duty ▲ proactive disaster prevention ▲ improved administrative response capacity ▲ establishment of a rational management system.
◇ Increase condolence payments and raise survivors' pension rate… expand support when injured
First, it will improve the application process for veterans' compensation for bereaved families of public officials who died in the line of duty. Previously, to be recognized as a person of national merit, the bereaved had to apply separately to the Ministry of Personnel Management and the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs (MPVA). If registration was delayed, the right to veterans' compensation could arise late. Going forward, it will push to amend the Act on the Honorable Treatment and Support of Persons of Distinguished Service to the State and related laws so that the right to compensation arises from the earlier of the "claim date for survivors' benefits due to death in the line of duty" or the "application date for veterans' registration."
It will also raise the survivors' pension rate for public officials who died in the line of duty in hazardous jobs from 43% to 47% of the standard monthly income. This will not be applied retroactively and will take effect after the law is amended. Kim Seong-hun, Vice Minister at the Ministry of Personnel Management, said of the increase, "For non-public officials, the Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance Act applies, and we matched the 47% set by that law." The aim is to bring it up to the level of similar private-sector systems.
To honor those who died in the line of duty, the minimum condolence payment for public officials who died in the line of duty will also be raised from 5.95 million won to 11.9 million won this year.
Support measures for injured public officials will also be expanded. The scope of rehabilitation benefits, which had focused on public officials currently receiving medical care for duty-related injuries, will be expanded to "within six months after the end of care." The support period will be extended from three months to six months. Considering inflation, the amount of support for rehabilitation exercise expenses will be raised from 300,000 won to up to 600,000 won.
The leave period for duty-related illness will also be increased. Previously, even when performing the same hazardous duties, the leave period for duty-related illness varied by job category; going forward, if hazardous duties were performed, leave of up to eight years will be possible regardless of job category. It will also establish the basis for "phased support for returning to duty," allowing adjustments such as work location to aid post-return adaptation.
◇ Designate disaster prevention officers by agency… strengthen administrative response and monitoring of fraudulent claims
Preventive measures will also be launched to reduce the risk of disasters affecting public officials. Agencies will designate disaster prevention officers and be required to draft health and safety management regulations.
In particular, it will introduce an "emergency duty suspension" system to quickly identify public officials in crisis so they can immediately stop work and receive medical care. Individuals can self-assess their mental health and apply to their department head or responsible officer. A public official who detects a colleague's warning signs can also apply. This will be implemented by adding emergency duty suspension to the conditions for sick leave so it can be used as sick leave. The target is to enforce it by the end of Feb. next year.
It will also push to strengthen administrative response capacity. This is to respond to increased disaster compensation claims and prevent fraudulent claims.
First, the roster of Commissioners on the Public Officials' Disaster Compensation Review Committee will be expanded from 100 to 200, and the Public Officials' Disaster Pension Committee from 50 to 100. In cases of re-disposition following administrative appeals or court rulings, procedures will be streamlined to allow omission of re-disposition review in consideration of the binding force requiring the administrative authority to comply with the purport of the decision.
To prevent fraudulent claims, punitive sanctions will be strengthened and reward and protection systems will be introduced. It will also establish an operating system consistent with the system's intent and fairness, including restricting survivors' benefits for individuals who have lost inheritance rights due to serious violations of support obligations or crimes, and clarifying the grounds to restrict duplicate receipt of condolence payments for the same reasons.
The Ministry of Personnel Management plans to pursue amendments to the Public Officials' Disaster Compensation Act and its Enforcement Decree after consultations with related agencies.
Choi Dong-seok, Minister of the Ministry of Personnel Management, said, "This comprehensive plan is meaningful in that it institutionalizes the principle that the state must responsibly protect public officials for disasters that occur while they are serving the people," adding, "We will continue working to create an environment where public officials can perform their duties with peace of mind."