Gov't to compensate families of former agents

The government revised the law governing compensation for people who have rendered meritorious service to the nation in 1991, paving the way for the compensation of victimized ex-South Korean agents dispatched to North Korea in the 1950s. But the government withheld its notification of the measure to the beneficiaries until April 1994, when it began paying actual compensation.

Moreover, the government sent notification covertly to the relatives of 5,576 former agents who died or went missing in the North. Until now, none of them have stepped forward to receive the compensation money. Disclosing pertinent government documents, Rep. Kim Seong-Ho of the ruling Millennium Democratic Party said Friday that only 13 persons who returned from the North received compensation in accordance with the revised law.

According to the lawmaker, the government is now screening the beneficiaries from among the 230 people who submitted applications for the government subsidy.

Meanwhile, noting that the ex-North Korean spies who were sent to the South are exempt from the benefits, a dispute could arise over fairness in law enforcement. The government revealed that of the total ex-agents, 2,150 are known to have died or are missing.

Yun Seung-Mo ysmo@donga.com