A survey by the Korea Education and Research Institute for Patriots and Veterans, a state think tank, also said 60 percent of the veterans are not satisfied with the level of state support for them.
According to the survey, 44.6 percent said money from children was their prime source of income. Only 17.9 percent picked state subsidy, and 10.7 percent had income from farming and fishing.
The survey canvassed 156,252 merited veterans who survived the 1950-53 Korean War. The number represents 79.3 percent of the country's 197,056 merited participants of the Korean conflict. The average age of the respondents was 80.3.
The survey found that only 6.3 percent or 9,777 veterans work regularly for a living. Their average monthly wage, however, was 490,000 won (US$418), which is below the 504,344 won minimum living cost for a one-person household this year.
Eighty-seven percent said they suffer from economic difficulties with 53.4 percent classifying themselves as being in the "low-income bracket."
More than 82 percent of the ill veterans said they rely on help from their family members while 5.3 percent said they have no family to assist them.
As for the government policy on war veterans, 60.2 percent said they are not content with it.
About 84 percent of them singled out the need to raise government allowance, currently 80,000 won a month, as top priority.
Despite the economic suffering, however, 83.9 percent answered that they are proud of themselves for having participated in the Korean War.
A total of 256,634 South Koreans fought in the war against the communist North Korea, according to the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs.//Yonhap
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com