YTN Radio (FM 94.5) [YTN News FM Wise Radio Life]
□ Broadcasting date and time: 09/30/2024 (Monday)
□ Host: Announcer Park Gui-bin
□ Starter: Chairman Yoo Eul-sang of the Sangsang County Council of the Republic of Korea
* The text below may differ from the actual broadcast content, so please check the broadcast for more accurate information.
◆ Announcer Park Gui-bin (hereinafter referred to as Park Gui-bin): A joint project of the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs and a wise radio life. It's still love Korea time. The reason why Korea was able to overcome the proud history of the Republic of Korea and the pain of war and develop like this was because there were warriors in it who overcame numerous sacrifices and adversities. Tomorrow is the 76th anniversary of the Armed Forces Day. October 1, 1950, was designated as Armed Forces Day, when South Korean soldiers crossed the 38th parallel after fighting back against North Korean communist forces that invaded the South. In celebration of Armed Forces Day tomorrow, today's wise radio show Still Love. We will join the Sangsang Military Association of the Republic of Korea, which has overcome physical adversity with pride of sacrificing and protecting the country during the war and is still leading patriotism. We have invited Yoo Eul-sang, chairman of the Sangsang County Council of Korea, to the studio. Welcome, Chairman.
◇ Chairman Yoo Eul-sang of the Sang-gun County Council of Korea (hereinafter Yoo Eul-sang): Hello, I am Yoo Eul-sang of the Sang-gun County Council.
◆Park Gui-bin: Yes, Chairman, welcome. I think it would be nice if you could briefly introduce yourselves to our listeners about the Sangsang County Council in Korea and introduce yourself together.
◇Yueul Prize: The Sangi Military Association of the Republic of Korea was founded on May 15, 1951, in Busan, the temporary capital of the Korean War, and marks its 73rd anniversary this year. Currently, about 90,000 members are registered, and there are 17 cities and provincial branches and 242 branches nationwide, centering on the headquarters in Yeouido. It aims to contribute to national development and world peace, such as achieving the unification of the motherland, by mutual assistance and enhancing self-sufficiency. In the Korean and Vietnam wars, it consists of people of national merit who were physically disabled by gunshot wounds and landmines, or were honored at the forefront of national protection to protect the lives and property of the people while serving as active-duty soldiers, police, and firefighters. I also participated in the Vietnam War in 1969 and suffered an amputation in my left leg during the battle. In recognition of his contribution, he received a personnel report medal from the government.
◆Park Gui-bin: Yes, it's been 73 years. He has introduced the 73rd anniversary of the Sangsang County Council of the Republic of Korea this year, and he is Chairman Yoo Eul-sang of the Sangsang County Council of the Republic of Korea. The listeners who are listening now probably don't know much about this group, so we prepared a short OX quiz about the interview. After that, I'll continue with the interview for a little more detailed story. Let's get started. No. 1. The first organization of national merit in Korea is the Sangha Military Council of the Republic of Korea.
◇ Yu Eul-sang: Yes, that's right.
◆Park Gui Bin: Number 2. Inside the Sangsang Military Council of the Republic of Korea, a veteran who participated in the war. In other words, only soldiers can join.
◇ Yu Eul Sang: No.
◆Park Gui Bin: Number 3. The first gold medalist of the Olympic Paralympics in Korea is a member of the Sangsang County Council of the Republic of Korea.
◇ Yu Eul-sang: Yes, that's right.
◆Park Gui-bin: World Veterans Day and Korea's Veterans Day are designated?
◇ Yu Eul-sang: No.
◆Park Gwi-bin: We'll stop here. I'll solve them one by one. The first organization of merit in Korea is the Sangsang County Council of the Republic of Korea. Chairman
◇ Yu Eul Sang: Yes, that's right. The Sangsang Military Association of Korea is the first organization of national merit recognized by the government. Starting in 1951, after the Korean War ended in 1953, President Syngman Rhee was reorganized into the Korean Sangi Veterans Association. Later, in 1963, Daehan Sang was registered as the Military Police Commission under the law, and in 1989, it was changed to the current name, Sanggye Military Commission of Korea.
◆Park Gui-bin: I see. The Sangha Military Association of Korea is the first organization of national merit recognized by the government. The first president is President Syngman Rhee.
◇ Yu Eul-sang: Yes, yes, that's right.
◆Park Gui-bin: And the second question was... When I asked him that only war veterans, or soldiers, could join, he said x. Then, which people can join?
◇ Yu Eul-sang: All police and firefighters who injured themselves during combat or official duties can join.
◆Park Gui-bin: All police officers, firefighters, and soldiers who were injured during combat or official duties can join. And third, the first gold medalist in the Olympic Paralympics in Korea was a member of the Sangsang County Council of the Republic of Korea.
◇ Yu Eul-sang: At the 1972 Heidelberg Paralympics in Germany, Song Tae-nam won the first gold medal in the table tennis wheelchair category for the Korean Paralympic Games. The gold medal is four years ahead of Yang's 1976 Montreal Olympics gold medal, which means Korea's first in both the Olympics and Paralympics.
◆Park Gui-bin: I see. The first gold medal in an international sports competition during the Olympic Paralympics was won by Song Sung-nam, a member of the Sangsang County Council of the Republic of Korea. in the table tennis wheelchair category And the fourth question is... I asked if there is another World Veterans Day and Korea Veterans Day, but isn't it designated? Can you explain it briefly?
◇ Yu Eul Sang: The war is still going on around the world, and there are a lot of wounded soldiers. So to commemorate this, the U.N. international organization WVF has established and commemorated June 21 as World War II Day. However, our country is the only divided country in the world, with the South and the North pointing guns at each other. Even at this moment, young soldiers, police, and firefighters who are protecting the country and focusing on training are injured, but unfortunately, there is no anniversary for them in our country yet.
◆Park Gui-bin: So World Veterans Day has been established. February 21st. But there is no designation for Sangha Military Police Day in Korea.
◇Yueul-sang: Yes, not yet.
◆Park Gwi-bin: You're right. This is something we need to know a little bit about. In this way, I first solved common sense about Sangsang County Council with OX and I asked. Now, let me ask you questions about our chairman. Earlier, I heard that the person who gave Korea a gold medal during the Olympics and Paralympics was Song Sung-nam, a member of the Sangsang County Council of the Republic of Korea. Not long ago, Cho Jung-doo, a member of the national shooting team, won a gold medal at the Paris Paralympics. How do you feel watching the performance of your juniors like this?
◇Yoo Eul-sang: I felt really reassured. In fact, the history of sports for the disabled in Korea began with rehabilitation sports activities by our mutual friends. In addition to the first medal at the Paralympics, he has won nearly 100 medals so far, taking the lead in developing sports for the disabled in Korea and promoting national prestige. In particular, four young members participated in the Paris Paralympics, and all of them have been discovered and grown through our rehabilitation sports program, so the achievement as chairman feels even more special.
◆Park Gui-bin: The chairman went to cheer for you. I think that's why the results were better there. What did they say when they saw the players in person?
◇ Yu Eul-sang: If you work hard, it is your own country's honor and your own glory. I encouraged him to work hard.
◆Park Gwi-bin: How much strength did you have? I think that's why the president of the Sangsang County Federation of Korea went there and cheered for the players and encouraged them like this, so I think that's why we made better results this time. Our listeners give us their opinions while listening to the show. One listener said something short and sweet. "You're amazing. Chairman.
◇ Yu Eul Sang: Yes, thank you.
◆Park Gwibin: They sent it like this. Please send it to me. I'll introduce it to you from time to time. I'm with Chairman Yoo Eul-sang. You said earlier that you participated in the Vietnam War, and that's when you hurt your leg. Can you tell us a little bit about the situation at that time?
◇ Yu Eul-sang: It was very inconvenient. After losing one leg, my daily life was really hard. But I've been working hard on rehabilitation for over fifty years. Thanks to that, I'm much better now. At first, it was difficult to do small things alone, but I didn't give up and tried steadily. The support from my family and colleagues also helped me a lot. Now I can move much more freely than before, and I am doing what I want to do hard and doing well.
◆Park Gui-bin: How old were you when the chairman participated in the Vietnam War?
◇ Yu Eul-sang: I was 20 years old.
◆Park Guivin: Do you remember what kind of battle it was when you were 20 years old when you participated in the war?
◇ Yu Eul-sang: Yes. We were in the Battle of Hoi An.
◆Park Gui-bin: You lost one leg at the time, and I wonder how you felt at the time.
◇ Yu Eul-sang: I was 20 years old then. When a mine exploded during Operation Hoi An, I thought, "Now I'm really going to die." At that moment, the faces of my parents and brothers passed like a film. Precious moments with my family came to mind at once. So I couldn't describe my fear and despair, but even at the moment, I cheered up by remembering my family's faces.
◆Park Gui-bin: So only those who are seriously injured like the chairman belong to the Sangha Military Association in Korea? How is it? I understand that there is usually a water supply depending on the degree of injury.
◇Yueul Award: There are grades 1 to 7. Now the first-class aristocrats are serious and should spend their entire lives in wheelchairs, and now the seventh-class aristocrats are the seventh-class members who can do nothing but do simple things.
◆Park Gui-bin: Then what level of injury is the chairman?
◇ Yu Eul-sang: I'm in the fourth grade.
◆Park Gwi-bin: Grade 4 is also considered a serious injury, but I'm sure you had a lot of difficulties when you returned to your daily life.
◇ Yoo Eul-sang: These days, prosthetic legs are good, so I've been working hard on rehabilitation and getting a lot better.
◆Park Gui-bin: Actually, he said he rehabilitated for about 50 years in his daily life. In fact, he not only rehabilitated, but also did a lot of activities. As mentioned earlier, the Sangha Military Association of the Republic of Korea was recognized by the government as the first organization of national merit, so it is an organization of national merit with a very long history. Is there anything you liked the most since you joined this company?
◇ Yoo Eul-sang: There were a lot of things that were very rewarding while working as a group. Among them, the most memorable thing is to solve the inconvenience that businessmen experience when they receive hospital treatment. In the past, it was difficult to get a career path because it was limited to veterans' hospitals. So I kept suggesting to the government to expand the foster hospital. Now, I can get treatment conveniently at the hospital around my house. Thanks to that, I feel very proud and happy to really think that many members received better medical care.
◆Park Gui-bin: You do this for the injured members of the Sangsang County Council, and you actually do a lot of social activities other than this. What kind of activities are you doing?
◇ Yu Eul-sang: As Korea's first organization of national merit, it has taken the lead in developing veterans' policies. The key activities we are doing can be classified into three main categories. The first is rehabilitation sports support for the members and the Sangsang Military Sports Competition and Invictus Games. The second is international exchange work, and the last is culture and arts education for members, families, and ordinary citizens.
◆Park Gui-bin: If you look at a documentary from the past. There's a system called the aid system. As far as I know, this system was a system that rehabilitates Sangha military police and supports self-reliance activities. Is the related system still in place?
◇ Yu Eul-sang: Yes, there is. It's doing better now. In 1961, the Military Protection Agency, the predecessor of what is now the Ministry of Veterans Affairs, was established. Since then, the government has started providing employment support, educational protection, and medical assistance by establishing hospitals to pay compensation according to water supply to the Sangha Air Force and help them become self-reliant. However, there was a lack of support due to national contact at the time. But now, as the economy has developed and the national power has grown, people's lives have improved a lot. Thanks to that, the national veterans system has developed a lot and has reached today. In particular, last year, the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs was upgraded to the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, strengthening its authority and function. We hope that the veterans policy will develop further in the future.
◆Park Gui-bin: Yes, a listener sent a story saying, "We had good results thanks to the support of the Paralympic president." I'm rooting for the other listeners as well. Chairman, they're sending it like this. And I understand that you played a very big role in the Sangsang-gun County Council regarding sports for the disabled, what do you think?
◇Yueul-sang: Sports for the disabled were barren in Korea at the time. However, since the 1960s, our association has actively encouraged rehabilitation sports for the self-sufficiency and independence of those who are seriously injured. Thanks to these efforts, it can be said that Korea has played a big role in growing into an advanced sports country for the disabled. Currently, our association is conducting various rehabilitation and sports activities to promote the rehabilitation of those who are seriously injured in the country. Examples include holding the Sangsang County Sports Festival, participating in the International Sports Festival for the Disabled, supporting the expansion of the base of rehabilitation sports, and the operation of the Sangsang County Sports Council.
◆Park Gui-bin: And as you mentioned earlier, the National Sangsang Military Sports Festival has been held every year since 1967. Internationally, a competition called the Invictus Games is held every two years, but is it being held in Korea as well?
◇Yueul Award: The National Sports Festival for the Disabled, which started in 1967, is Korea's first comprehensive sports competition for the disabled, which started with our members injured in the Korean War and the Vietnam War. Through this competition, 90,000 national merit awards across the country are providing an opportunity to build friendship and harmony. The competition is helping those who sacrificed for their country to pursue healthier and more honorable lives. And the World Sports Festival, founded in 2014 by Britain's Prince Harry of Invictus Games, is held every two years by veterans around the world with the goal of harmony and rehabilitation. Currently, 23 countries around the world are participating, and Korea is the first East Asian country to participate in the event in 2029.
◆Park Gui-bin: Yes, that's right. This means that you are working hard with the goal of hosting Invictus Games in Korea in 2029. Time flew by. Chairman, I'll ask you one last question. Are you inviting the war dead of the UN forces participating in the Korean War to Korea? What did they say when they met?
◇ Yu Eul-sang: Yes, our organization is playing the role of civilian diplomacy by inviting war victims of the Korean War and providing medical services to the village of peace in Vietnam to enhance the image of the Republic of Korea from a country that received aid to a country that is now helping. From 2007 to 2019, I deeply appreciate and respect the war dead and guardians of each country who participated in the Korean War and returned home with war wounds by inviting them to Korea every year to show the development of the Republic of Korea and to sacrifice and dedicate themselves to the Republic of Korea, which is unknown in other countries.
◆Park Gwi-bin: Yes, I see. Please remember the Sangsang County Council of the Republic of Korea. Chairman, I'll wrap it up now. Did you hear the closing greeting? Let's get started. Steel Love
◇Yueun Award: Republic of Korea
◆Park Gwi-bin: We love our country then, now, and tomorrow. So far, this has been the 6th episode of Still Love, a joint project of wise radio life with the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs. Chairman Yoo Eul-sang joined us. Thank you.
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