Seoul: The defense ministry is contemplating a review of the deaths of over 38,000 service members who perished while serving but were not recognized as having died in the line of duty.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the ministry has initiated a study to explore ways to reinvestigate these deaths and consider possible compensation for those whose service was not duly acknowledged. This review could involve cases of service members who died due to unknown reasons or suicide during their military service.

Data submitted to Rep. Baek Sun-hee of the minor Rebuilding Korea Party reveals that by 2022, there were 38,056 non-duty-related death cases. This total includes 20,205 deaths from illnesses or unnatural causes, 12,798 suicides, and 5,054 deaths from general reasons like disasters and illnesses.

Historically, service members who committed suicide were not recognized as having died in the line of duty until legislative changes in the 2000s. The revision of the Military Personnel Management Act in 2014 allowed for suicides and deaths from the aggravation of preexisting illnesses during service to be classified as line-of-duty deaths.

The defense ministry, in commissioning the study, acknowledged that many cases could now be classified as deaths on duty under current standards.