The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs (Minister Kwon Oh-eul) announced that its 2026 budget has been finalized at KRW 6.687 trillion after deliberation by the National Assembly, an increase of KRW 28.8 billion over the original government proposal. This represents a 3.7% (KRW 240.3 billion) increase compared to the 2025 budget of KRW 6.447 trillion, and significantly expands benefits by raising compensation for persons of national merit by 5% and doubling the special compensation for surviving independence patriots (from KRW 1.57–1.72 million per month to KRW 3.15–3.45 million per month).