A Brief Introduction to the Korean Award System

The history of the Republic of Korea's Award System is extremely complex. Between the Japanese surrender on Aug. 15th, 1945 and the creation of the Republic of Korea on Aug. 15th, 1948, there were a number of awards created. However, none of these awards appear in any official ROK publications, because they were not awarded by the Republic of Korea. After the creation of the ROK, there were a number of awards given by the various ministries, but not by the central government. Consequently, they also do not appear in any official ROK publications. Finally in 1949, Korea established two Orders and seven Merit Medals. When the Korean War erupted on June 25th, 1950, the government found a need to create several new orders to reward the foreigners who came to Koreas aid. This initial system was created piecemeal and exhibits a certain degree of naivete. There were a number of times during the War, when the Korean government awarded individuals even though there was no legal basis for the award. A good example of this is General Douglas MacArthur who was decorated several months before the Order of Military Merit was legally established by the government. Most of these shortcuts also do not appear in the official history of the Korean Award System. After the war, the Award System remained fairly static until 1961, when Park Chung Hee took over the administration of the country. Under his leadership, the Korean award system was expanded. Some of the new Orders were for the military, while others were aimed at bolstering the country, both internally and externally. Between 1967 and 1973, there were a large number of changes. Several Orders were renamed, classes were renamed, and designs were changed often in very short amount of time. In 1972, a referendum amended the Korean Constitution, which is now referred to as the Yushin (Revitalizing Reforms) Constitution. As part of this revitalizing effort, the Korean Government reviewed its Award System, and in January of 1973, several new Orders and Merit Medals were created. The only major change since then, has been the creation of an Order for Science and Technology.

1955 - Key to the city of Seoul
Elements of the Current Award System

ORDERS (훈장 Hun Jang) are the highest and most coveted awards issued by the Republic of Korea. Currently there are 12 different Orders, the last one being established in 2001. The highest Order, the Grand Order of Mugunghwa, is a single class Order and is reserved for the President of Korea, foreign Heads of State and their spouses. The Order of Diplomatic Merit, is a five class Order, but the first class has two different grades, one for Korean diplomats and one for foreign diplomats. The remaining 10 orders are all composed of five classes. For an example of the currently used system of sashes, cravats, breast stars, etc., see the picture at the bottom of this page.

MERIT MEDALS (보장 Po jang) are that group of awards just below Orders. These are often referred to as the "6th class" of the Orders. The term is incorrect, but nevertheless, helpful in explaining their importance in the overall system. In Korean publications, they are referred to, in English, as either "Medals of Merit" or as "Medals of Honor". In all Korean publications and websites, they are always listed separately form the Orders. The first Merit Medals were created in 1949. They have undergone significant change since then. Currently there are 12 Merit Medals in use. The last one being established in Jan. 2001.

COMMENDATIONS (표창 Pyo chang) are the third highest group of awards. They are issued by the President and by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea, to individuals and organizations that have made outstanding contributions to the nation. These commendations include the Presidential Citation, the Presidential Unit Citation, the Presidential Prize, the Prime Minister's Citation, the Prime Minister's Unit Citation and the Prime Minister's Prize. In addition, a number of government ministries have similar commendation systems. Unfortunately, until I can gather more information, these other systems are currently beyond the scope of this website.)
MEDALS (기장 Ki jang) are at the bottom level of the Korean award system. These are the various commemorative medals, war service medals, campaign and other misc. medals. The Decorations and Awards Division of the Ministry of Government Administration and Home Affairs strictly controls Korean Orders, Merit Medals, Presidential and Prime Minister Commendations. Since the early 1950s, when the Central Government approves a Ki Jang Medal, it is assigned to a government ministry for control purposes. This can be very confusing. A good example is the Defense Ministry which controls a number of medals which can be awarded to the police, fire department, railroad workers, and even to civilians. Since these medals are not controlled by the central government obtaining information is very difficult. Most of the government ministries simply do not want to be bothered, and will not give any assistance. (I have a great deal of information on these medals, but there is still much more that needs to be uncovered. Until then, they are also beyond the scope of this website.)

OTHER TYPES OF AWARDS are used by the Korean government. There are generally two types of this award, one being a "Letters of Appreciation", and another being some type of momento given to commemorate a persons visit. Probably the ultimate award in this category is a "Key to the City", such as the ones pictured here.

Key to the City of Seoul
Order of Diplomatic Service Merit

Pictured here is a good example of a standard Korean Order.
The First Class has a sash and breast star.
The Second Class has a cravat and a slightly smaller breast star.
The Third Class has a cravat and no breast star.
The Fourth and Fifth Classes are standard breast medals.

However, variations do exist.
The Order of National Foundation has a sash for both the first and second class. It also has breast stars for the first three classes.
After this picture was taken, the First Class of the Order of Diplomatic Service was divided into two grades, both of which have sashes and breast stars.

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