Updated: 28 May, 2006
Korea (Republic of)
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Medals of the Republic of Korea Don Pfeifer is currently writing a book on the Award System of the Republic of Korea. To date, he has identified over 400 variations of Korean Orders and Medals. If you have any questions, need help in identifying a medal, or would just like to discuss Korean Medals, please contact Don at dfifer@earthlink.net |
Republic of Korea Orders - Ministry of Government Administration and Home Affairs (MOGAHA) Information is in Korean, but names are provided in English.
Republic of Korea Medals - Ministry of Government Administration and Home Affairs (MOGAHA) Information is in Korean, but names are provided in English.
Medals of Korea - In Korean, but there is enough English to get a fair understanding. Don Pfeifer
Korean Orders - Japanese Orders & Medals Website
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Geum-Gwan Medal Awarded - Korea’s Highest Order of Merit for Culture. Other Cultural Awarded Mentioned as well.
Reprimanded General to Be Awarded US Medal - Retired Major-general Han Chul-yong, former commander of the 5679 Intelligence Unit, who was reprimanded for accusing the Ministry of National Defense of ignoring warning reports prior to the June 29 West Sea clash, is to be awarded the US "Legion of Merit." A ministry source said that it had opposed the award as Han had been reprimanded over the incident, but the USFK had replied this was not related to that and a presentation ceremony would be held soon. Nov 02
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Awarded to Korean and American personnel who served with the 8086th and 8240th Army Units |
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Translator Awarded Legion of Honor Choi Jung-wha, a professor at the Hanguk University of Foreign Studies Graduate School of Interpretation and Translation, became the first South Korean woman to receive the Legion of Honor (Légion d’Honneur), France's premier order. Choi has translated during eight summit talks between South Korea and France and has also worked as a professional translator in about 1,800 international conferences. However, it was not just her fluent English and French that won her the medal. DigialChosun 25 Sep 03 |
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Order of Distinguished Diplomatic Service 1st Class Star Awarded by the Korean Government to those individuals, Korean or foreign, who distinguish themselves in the promotion of friendship with other nations. Comes in 5 classes. The ribbon is white edged with wide stripe of green on each edge and red stripe toward each edge. This is an example of the first design Star, before 1974. Emmanuel Halleux |
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SangHa Vice Chairwoman Awarded Red Cross Medal SangHa vice chairwoman Kim In-soon, center, is awarded Medal of Red Cross for 26 years of dedicated public services at an event celebrating the 99th anniversary of the Republic of Korea National Red Cross, in Seoul. One year before its centennial anniversary, 6,915 were awarded Red Cross Medals. times.hankookj.com 31 Oct 04 |
[Editorial] Revoke Medals for Those Involved at Gwangju It is the 25th anniversary of the Gwangju Struggle. It has also already been many years since the struggle has been given its proper place as part of the democracy movement and those involved have had their honor restored. There is still much to be done, however. One thing that needs to be resolved is the perverted situation in which those who were responsible for the bloody armed suppression of the struggle have yet to have the medals they received for their work canceled and revoked. Needless to say none among them have returned their medals voluntarily. hani.co.kr 18 May 05
Disgraced Presidents Could Lose Their Medals The government could strip former presidents Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo of their medals when a new law on national awards goes into effect. An official with the Ministry of Government Administration and Home Affairs said Tuesday that when the amended law goes into effect on Nov. 5, the government would have to decide whether to strip the two disgraced former leaders of their decorations. Chun Doo-hwan was given the Order of Military Merit Taegeuk in 1980 as head of Defense Security Command, while Roh Tae-woo was awarded the Order of Military Merit Ulchi in the same year as head of Army Headquarters Security Command. english.chosun.com 7 Sep 05
Ex-Presidents' Medals May Be Stripped The government is considering stripping former Presidents Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo of their military honors following the revision of the law governing state decorations. The Ministry of Government Administration and Home Affairs said that it has asked the Ministry of Government Legislation and a fact-finding committee of the Defense Ministry to evaluate the legality of awarding military medals to former presidents and 79 others for their roles in military coup in December 1979 and the Kwangju civilian massacre in May 1980. It took this action because the revised law, which went into effect on Saturday, gives the ministry authority to take away awards from individuals if their achievements turn out to be exaggerated or if they are later held responsible for crimes that result in prison terms of more than three years. Two former presidents and 12 others were found to be guilty in 1997 for their roles in the 1979 military coup, while 69 other military officers received guilty verdicts for suppressing the democratic movement in the southwestern city of Kwangju. The National Assembly passed a revision of government decorations last June that gives the ministry the exclusive right to strip individuals of state honors without having to consult with other government offices. But a ministry official said that it will wait for the results of the Defense Ministry’s investigation before making a final decision on whether to take away awards from former presidents and military officers. times.hankooki.com 6 Nov 05
U.S. veteran to receive S. Korea's highest medal A veteran of two wars, retired U.S. Army Col. Young Oak Kim has received more than a dozen medals. But he doesn't display them like a proud warrior. They're all stowed in a box somewhere in his garage. During World War II, Kim played a key role in helping the Allies capture Rome and liberate several French towns. In the Korean War, he led a combat unit that pushed enemy forces back from the 38th parallel, creating a strategic wrinkle in the line that divides North and South Korea. Kim will soon add one more medal to his box. South Korean President Roh Moon-hyun recently approved giving him the Taeguk Order of Military Merit, the highest military honor in South Korea. The move marks a rare exception to a decades-old policy against awarding any more medals involving the Korean War. Political observers see the move as an effort by the South Korean government to maintain friendly relations with the United States during a wave of anti-Americanism in that country and amid tense negotiations over North Korea's rogue nuclear program. montereyherald.com 23 Oct 05
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South Koreans award medal to stricken Army colonel South Korean has presented U.S. Army Col. Bryan D. Keifer with a medal from the Korean military for Keifer’s service on the peninsula. Earlier this year, Keifer suffered neurological damage after an angioplasty procedure. Standing from left are Chung’s wife Kim Hong-won; Keifer’s children Christie and Zach; and Keifer’s wife Parrie. Maj. Gen. Chung Joong-suk presented Keifer with the Korean Order of National Security Merit Samil Medal. The medal usually is presented to general-grade U.S. officers upon completion of their time in South Korea. estripes.com 20 Nov 05 |
Korean Govt awards medal to Pakistani ambassador The Korean Government has conferred Ghanghwa medal to Syed Pervez Hussain, Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan for promoting friendly relations in various fields of common interest between the republic of Korea and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. His valuable dedication and service have earned him the appreciation and admiration of the Korean people. onlinenews.com.pk 21 Dec 05
Decision on Ex-Presidents’ Medals Next Month The government will decide by next month whether to strip disgraced former presidents Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo of decorations they were awarded for their role in Chun’s Dec. 12, 1979 putsch. Government Information Agency chief Kim Chang-ho said a policy meeting agreed the list of those to be stripped of decorations will be finalized in a Cabinet meeting next month. The move follows a legal revision that empowers the home affairs minister to propose withdrawing medals without consulting the agencies at whose recommendation they were awarded. Earlier, Prime Minister Lee Hae-chan urged ministers to be fair in deciding who deserves to be stripped of their medals given their role in the coup, adding no exception should be made for the two former leaders. english.chosun.com 21 Dec 05
Korean Gets Medal for War on Terror A Korean lieutenant colonel on active duty will be awarded a medal from the U.S. in recognition of his contributions to the U.S.’s “war on terror.” According to the army on January 8, In Seong-hwan, the commander of the training battalion for newly-enrolled soldiers of the 27th Infantry Division, will be decorated with the U.S. Meritorious Service Medal at the U.S. Embassy in Korea on January 20. In, who has served as a strategy-planning officer under the U.S. Central Command in Florida for a year since December 2003, made an appraisal report on strategic environment within the area during that period. The army explained that his report contributed significantly to operations of Central Command and its prosecution of the war on terror. english.donga.com 9 Jan 06
S. Korea honors outgoing U.S. commander South Korea’s President Roh Moo-hyun awarded a medal to the departing commander of U.S. forces in Korea to honor his three and a half years of servic. Gen. Leon J. LaPorte was decorated with the Tong-Il Medal, the highest of the five medals under the Order of National Security Merit. aiforcetimes.com 31 Jan 06
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'Old Boy' Returns Medal in Screen Quota Protest Actor Choi Min-sik has returned a government decoration in protest against Seoul’s decision to halve the number of days reserved in theaters for Korean movies. Staging a one-man protest, the actor said the decision was “tantamount to a death sentence for Korean film." He said the medal, once a symbol of pride, was now “nothing more than a sign of disgrace, and it is with a heavy heart that I must return it." Choi was awarded the Og-Gwan Order of Cultural Merit in honor of his role in the movie, which won Grand Jury Prize at Cannes in 2004. A ministry official said there was no stipulation providing for the return of an order of cultural merit. “We will keep it and give it back to him later,” he added. english.chosun.com 7 Feb 06 |
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Ex-Presidents Stripped of Medals The government stripped former Presidents Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo of their military honors and other state decorations awarded to them during the 1960s-80s. The two former military strongmen had central roles in orchestrating a coupd’etat in 1979 that put Chun in power and held responsible for the bloody suppression of a pro-democracy uprising in the southwestern city of Kwangju in 1980. The former presidents were the most notable among the 176 people _ including politicians, military officers and businessmen _ who had their medals taken away following the revision of the law governing state decorations. The new law allows the government to take away all state decorations from individuals who committed crimes that threatened national security or resulted in a prison term of more than three years. It also nullifies all military honors that had been given to those involved in the suppression of the 1980 Kwangju uprising. However, Chun and Roh will be able to retain their Mugunghwa Medals, Korea’s highest order of civil merit, which are traditionally given to Korean heads of state. ``We will inform the individuals who had their state-honors canceled and start recollecting the medals. They will also be banned from wearing decorations they received from other countries,’’ said Kim Kuk-hyun, an official at the Ministry of Government Administration and Home Affairs. ``The ministry will continue to look into the records of people who received state honors in the past and check whether any of them had committed a crime grave enough for the government to cancel their honors,’’ he said. The notable figures who had their medals taken away include Lee Keun-an, a former police official who was notorious for his torture of political prisoners, and the late Kim Jae-gyu, the former spy agency head who assassinated then President Park Chung-hee in 1979. The previous law allowed the government to cancel state decorations only on the request of the state agency that recommended the individual for the honors. Most recently, the government took away military honors from two retired generals in 1999 for their involvement in the suppression of the Kwangju uprising, following a request from the Defense Ministry. Before Tuesday’s announcement, the government had canceled state decorations on 10 people since 1960, when the current resident registration system was introduced, the Home Affairs Ministry said. The military officials, including Chun and Roh, who had their state decorations canceled will likely be deprived of their rights to be buried at the National Cemetery. They also will not be able to receive the monthly paycheck of 100,000 won given to people with state decorations and lose their healthcare benefits. Chun, then as a major general, led a military coup on Dec. 12, 1979, just two months after the death of former President Park, and later named himself as head of state. Roh, a long-time confident of Chun, succeeded the presidency after winning the 1987 election. Both men had received state decorations for their suppression of the uprising, which left more than 200 people dead and several thousands wounded. times.hankooki.com 21 Mar 06 |
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Gov't Honors Late Kim Dongwon, 'Korean Hamlet' The Ministry of Culture and Tourism conferred ``Geum-Guan’’ Order of Cultural Merit upon the late veteran actor Kim Dong-won to honor his contribution to the performing arts. Kim, known as ``Korea’s Hamlet,’’ died at the age of 88, suffering from a cerebral disease. The late actor played Hamlet for the first time in Korean theatrical history and also showed up in movies including ``Enemy of Women (Yosongui Chok)’’ (1956). He was active in the local theatrical scene as head of the play, movie and dance departments at the National Academy of Arts. Due to his contribution, Kim was given several awards such as ``Pogwan’’ Order of Cultural Merit in 1990. times.hankooki.com 15 May 06 |
Orders, Decorations, and Medal of Korea Antiques A to Z
