Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs South Korea’s Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs said Monday it is expanding support for Korean War and Vietnam War veterans, as the country marks Patriots and Veterans Month in June.According to the ministry, veterans of the Korean and Vietnam wars receive a monthly honorary allowance of 490,000 won ($324) this year. The allowance, first introduced in 2002 at 50,000 won, has steadily increased.Local governments also provide separate monthly allowances for war veterans, averaging 263,000 won. The ministry said it plans to draw up new guidelines and seek cooperation from local governments to reduce regional gaps in payments and raise the overall level of support.The ministry provides an additional monthly livelihood support payment of 150,000 won to low-income elderly veterans. The program, launched in 2022, applies to veterans aged 80 or older whose income is at or below 50 percent of the median income -- 1.28 million won for a single-person household.In March, the ministry introduced payments for surviving spouses of deceased veterans for the first time, aiming to prevent state support from being cut off after the death of the veteran. The ministry said it will work to ease the current age requirement of 80 or older for spouses to expand eligibility.The ministry is also continuing medical, welfare and housing support for veterans. Veterans can receive treatment at six veterans hospitals nationwide and 1,025 designated hospitals in their residential areas, with 90 percent of out-of-pocket medical costs covered.Free annual health checkups are available every May for veterans, their spouses and direct family members aged 20 or older, upon prior reservation, in cooperation with the Korea Association of Health Promotion.Veterans aged 65 or older without family members legally responsible for supporting them may receive care at Suwon Veterans Home in Gyeonggi Province. Those assessed as needing long-term care can receive support at eight veterans nursing homes across the country. The government covers 60 percent of out-of-pocket costs for veterans using veterans nursing homes or private care facilities.For housing support, the ministry operates a priority housing supply program for homeless veterans and has carried out the “Honor House” home improvement project with the Korea Housing Finance Corp. since 2023. A total of 218 veterans received housing priority support in 2024 and 2025, while 20 households benefited from home improvements. This year, the ministry plans to spend 300 million won to improve 10 more homes.Since 2014, meanwhile, the ministry has identified and registered about 84,000 previously unregistered war veterans.