Korean War Service Medal

Republic of Korea War Service Medal: The Korean War Service Medal is a decoration of South Korea which was first authorized in December 1950. Originally known as the Incident Participation Medal the medal was first authorized to South Korean troops who had participated in the initial counter-assaults against North Korean aggression in June of 1950. In 1951, President Syngman Rhee ordered that the Incident Participation Medal be renamed as the War Service Medal and further authorised the decoration to any troops who were defending South Korea against invasion. In 1954, the South Korean government authorised the now called Korean War Service Medal to all United Nations troops who had fought in the Korean War between the dates of June 25, 1950 to July 27, 1953.

After the Korean War ended in 1953, Rhee awarded the Korean War Service Medal to troops that fought on behalf of the United Nations. Winston Churchill, the British prime minister at the time, refused to allow troops to wear the medal. Most Commonwalth countries including Australia followed suit. Australia and The United Kingdom continue to refuse to grant official recognition to the medal, while other Commonwealth countries as New Zealand and South Africa and the United States now permit it to be worn with other service medals.

The Korean War Service Medal faded into history and was not heard of again until 1999. At that time, the South Korean government proposed the decoration be reactivated and retroactively awarded to all Korean and U.N. veterans who had served in the Korean War. Planned presentations of the award were scheduled for June of 2000, on the 50th anniversary of the Korean War.