Order of Military Merit (South Korea)
Military medal in South Korea
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The Order of Military Merit (Korean: 무공훈장, Hanja: 武功勳章) is the primary military decoration awarded by the South Korean government.
Taegeuk
Eulji
Chungmu
Hwarang
Inheon
| Order of Military Merit | |
|---|---|
Awarded by  South Korea | |
| Type | Order of merit |
| Awarded for | Outstanding military services by participating in an action in time of war or in quasi-state of war or by performing his/her duty equivalent to combat, such as responding to the attack of an enemy in a contact area. |
| Status | Active |
| Grades |
|
| Former grades |
|
| Precedence | |
| Next (higher) | Grand Order of Mugunghwa |
| Related | |
It is awarded to a person who rendered "outstanding military services by participating in an action in time of war or in quasi-state of war or by performing his/her duty equivalent to combat, such as responding to the attack of an enemy in a contact area."[1]
History
On 18 October 1950, law about Order of Military Merit was enacted.
Original names are as follows:
- First Class Order of Military Merit,
- Second Class Order of Military Merit,
- Third Class Order of Military Merit,
- Fourth Class Order of Military Merit
On 19 August 1951, The names were changed as follows:
- Taegeuk Order of Military Merit,
- Eulji Order of Military Merit,
- Chungmu Order of Military Merit,
- Hwarang Order of Military Merit
On 14 December 1963, Inheon Order of Military Merit was added.
Classes and Grades
The Order of Military Merit is awarded in five classes and each of these has three grades. In descending order of rank, the classes are: Taegeuk (태극), Eulji (을지), Chungmu (충무), Hwarang (화랑) and Inheon (인헌).
Taegeuk (태극), Eulji (을지), Chungmu (충무), Hwarang (화랑) had a first, second or third grade, denoted respectively by a gold star (금성), silver star (은성), or an unadorned ribbon (무성).
For example, Gold Star Taegeuk (금성태극), Silver Star Taegeuk (은성태극), or Unadorned Taegeuk. (무성태극)[2][3]
Since 1964, there are only five classes authorized as below.
| Class | Name | Namesake | Ribbon |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Taegeuk[a] (태극) | Taegeuk |  |
| 2nd | Eulji[b] (을지) | Eulji Mundeok |  |
| 3rd | Chungmu (충무) | Yi Sun-sin |  |
| 4th | Hwarang (화랑) | Hwarang |  |
| 5th | Inheon (인헌) | Gang Gam-chan |  |
Notable recipients
※ Date: Date is on the certificate document or on database is prior to date of conferment ceremony.
※ Rank: As of awarded date
※ † indicates that the recipient was killed in action.
Taegeuk
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Eulji
Chungmu
| Name | Service / Unit | Rank | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lee Dae-yong | Republic of Korea Army | Captain | 1950-12-30 | |
| Military attaché | 1972-04-10 | |||
| Han Moo-hyup | Republic of Korea Army | ? | 1951-10-04 | |
| align="Center"| ? | 1953-09-21 | |||
| Major General | 1969-02-18 | |||
| A. G. Rangaraj | Indian Army, 60th Parachute Field Ambulance |
Lieutenant Colonel | 1951-08-21 | |
| 1951-11-30 | ||||
| James McDivitt | United States Air Force | Brigadier General | ? | |
| Robert Busch | United States Army | SP 6 | 1959-09-01 | |
| Clayton O. Totman | United States Marine Corps | Brigadier General | ? | |
| Denis Earp SSA SD SM SOE | South African Air Force | Lieutenant General | 1961-06-30 | |
| Elmo Zumwalt | United States Navy | Admiral | 1969-04-25 | |
| John E. Morrison | United States Airforce | Major General | 1966-06-20 | [15] |
| Narong Kittikachorn | Royal Thai Army | Colonel | 1968 | |
| Kriangkrai Attanand | Field Marshal | 2024-07-27 |
Hwarang
| Name | Service / Unit | Rank | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walter C. Monegan Jr. † | United States Marine Corps | Private First Class | 1954-04-12 | [16] |
| Hugh M. Elwood | Lieutenant general | ? | ||
| Jack T. Bishoff | United States Navy | Captain | ? | |
| William Geftman | United States Marine Corps | Lieutenant Colonel | ? | |
| Wilbur F. Simlik | Major General | 1970-04-10 | ||
| Phan Hòa Hiệp | Army of the Republic of Vietnam | Colonel | 1971-01-29 | |
Inheon
| Name | Service / Unit | Rank | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ji Man-won | Republic of Korea Army | Captain | 1970-11-13 | |
| Yoon Jang-ho | Republic of Korea Army | Staff Sergeant | 2007-03-01 | |
See also
- Orders, decorations, and medals of South Korea
- "Official Database of Awards". Government of South Korea.
