Grand Order of Mugunghwa and The Order of National Foundation I need to find and examine all 4 of the medals pictured here.

Order of Military Merit The two medals pictured here are purportedly the First and Second Class from the original series of the Order of Military Merit. It's possible that this is a design drawing and that these medals never really existed. After this website went on line, I received information that the American Numismatic Society Collection had ribbon bars for the First, Second and Third Classes from this series and that they were to be sold at an auction in England. I was able to buy the lot. If anyone has a medal or ribbon bar from this series, I would appreciate any information or pictures that you can share with me. On December 29, 1950, Presidential decree #427 was issued. In it, the government instituted the Gold, Silver and No Star system, which effectively created an Order of Military Merit in 12 classes. There are several Korean references which state that the red stripes were removed from the ribbon in December of 1950, with no mention of the ribbon’s base color. There is no legislation to support these references. There are no legislated changes to the ribbon color and/or stripes until May of 1951. While the legislation is relatively clear, the lack of any examples of the medals from this time period creates a dilemma. We cannot state categorically what transpired during this time period. Especially when you consider that the Korean War was in full swing. I need to find a single example of any class from this series to at least confirm that they were issued. What would be even better, would be to find an example of any class from this series with a Gold or Silver Star attached to the ribbon. This would confirm that the order did follow the legislated changes. Please if you have one of these medals or know where one is at: send me the information so that I can obtain pictures.

Merit Medals - 1949 Series Pictured below is the 1949 series of Merit Medals. The Drawing clearly indicates that all of the medals are identical except for the ribbon color and the Korean characters on the obverse. The picture on the right has two Merit medals, one is for National Foundation, while the other one is the Merit Medal for Defense. According to Korean legislation, the National Foundation Merit Medal should not exist in this form. I would like to find more examples of this series to examine. The Merit Medal for Defense is sometimes referred to as the Defense of Seoul Medal. That title is incorrect.

Ki Jang Medals The first medal is the Korean Wound Medal. I am looking for an example with a serial number. The second medal is the Guerilla Warfare Service Medal. I have an example of the modern production pieces. I have also been able to purchase an original and two original planchets, but all three of the planchets are different. If anyone has an original Guerilla Warfare Service Medal in their collection, please email me, I would love to get some pictures of theirs for comparison. The third medal is the original Korean War Participation Medal. I have been able to purchase two of these medals, but I would appreciate hearing from anyone who has one. I am hoping to get some idea of how many were issued and to see if there is some pattern in how and to whom they were issued. The fourth medal is the Next of Kin Medal. I have had to opportunity to purchase one and to examine another one. Interestingly enough, there was a significant difference between them. I would like to examine more of them. The fifth item is the Presidential Citation for Individuals. I have not had an opportunity to examine an original.