A reserve military officer, who had served in Iraq and was in charge of bringing back the body of a South Korean who was beheaded by terrorists in 2004, was rejected in his application to be considered a man of national merit, a status that confers state benefits.

Sources from the Seoul Administrative Court said Sunday that the man, whose identity was withheld, had filed a suit against the Nambu District Office of Patriots and Veterans Affairs to withdraw their refusal to recognize him as a man of merit. He claimed that he has been suffering from depression after guarding against terrorism during his overseas post. The court said the correlation was weak.



The former lieutenant colonel started his military career in 1983.

He served as the defense attache at the South Korean Embassy in Iraq from February 2004 for one year and five months. He was in charge of making location plans for the South Korean troops deployed there to help rehabilitation and analyze the movements of terrorist groups there. His role included sharing information with the embassy and the troops, preparing diplomatic measures for emergencies and working with the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency.

In June, 2004, the former military man helped bring the body of Kim Sun-il, a South Korean civilian who was abducted and beheaded by the Islamist group after the South Korean government refused its demand to pull its troops out of the international forces there and cancel its plan to send more. The man claimed he had to carry out emotionally difficult roles such as repeatedly checking Kim’s body during the process.

Upon returning home, the man reportedly received psychological treatment in October 2010 due to amnesia and was diagnosed with depression. He was released from duty in October 2012 and applied to be registered as man of national merit, citing depression and posttraumatic stress in 2014. He claimed he developed these conditions by serving in Iraq and that his mission there was relevant to protecting the nation and the people’s lives.

The court, however, ruled against him, citing laws that grant the status only to those who have injured themselves or become ill while serving overseas on reconstruction, medical and restoration missions.

“While the role that (the man) had undertaken may apply to the conditions for men of merit, he has not been directly involved in an accident or suffered an injury to his head,” the ruling said. It also cited that he continued to serve his duty normally until 2007, during which he received four commendations. (khnews@heraldcorp.com)