Order of Military Merit (Korea)

Last updated
Order of Military Merit
Awarded by Flag of South Korea.svg  South Korea
Type Order of merit
Awarded forOutstanding 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.
StatusActive
GradesTaegeuk
Eulji
Chungmu
Hwarang
Inheon
Precedence
Next (higher) Grand Order of Mugunghwa
Related
Korean name
Hangul
무공훈장
Hanja
武功勳章
Revised Romanization Mugong Hunjang
McCune–Reischauer Mugong Hunjang

The Order of Military Merit (Hangul: 무공훈장) is the primary military decoration awarded by the South Korean government. 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]

Hangul Native alphabet of the Korean language

The Korean alphabet, known as Hangul, has been used to write the Korean language since its creation in the 15th century by King Sejong the Great. It may also be written as Hangeul following the standard Romanization.

South Korea Republic in East Asia

South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula. The name Korea is derived from Goguryeo which was one of the great powers in East Asia during its time, ruling most of the Korean Peninsula, Manchuria, parts of the Russian Far East and Inner Mongolia under Gwanggaeto the Great. Its capital, Seoul, is a major global city and half of South Korea's 51 million people live in the Seoul Capital Area, the fourth largest metropolitan economy in the world.

Contents

Grades

The Order of Military Merit is awarded in five grades. [2]

GradeNameNamesakeRibbon
1stTaegeuk (태극) taegeuk Taeguk Cordon Medal.png
2ndEulji (을지) also sometimes spelt Ulchi Eulji Mundeok Eulji Cordon Medal.png
3rdChungmu (충무) Yi Sun-sin Chungmu Cordon Medal.png
4thHwarang (화랑) Hwarang Hwarang Cordon Medal.png
5thInheon (인헌) Gang Gam-chan Inheon Cordon Medal.png

Notable recipients

Taegeuk

Document of award of the Taegeuk Cordon to the Unknown Dead of Greece for the Greek participation in the Korean War ... I hereby award the Order of Military Merit Taeguk with gold start to the unknown dead of the armed forces of the Kingdom of Greece (8668101821).jpg
Document of award of the Taegeuk Cordon to the Unknown Dead of Greece for the Greek participation in the Korean War
Douglas MacArthur U.S. Army general of the army, field marshal of the Army of the Philippines

Douglas MacArthur was an American five-star general and Field Marshal of the Philippine Army. He was Chief of Staff of the United States Army during the 1930s and played a prominent role in the Pacific theater during World War II. He received the Medal of Honor for his service in the Philippines Campaign, which made him and his father Arthur MacArthur Jr. the first father and son to be awarded the medal. He was one of only five to rise to the rank of General of the Army in the US Army, and the only one conferred the rank of field marshal in the Philippine Army.

General of the Army (United States) Second highest possible rank in the United States Army

General of the Army is a five-star general officer and the second highest possible rank in the United States Army. A General of the Army ranks immediately above a general and is equivalent to a Fleet Admiral and a General of the Air Force. There is no established equivalent five-star rank in the other federal uniformed services. Often called a "five-star general", the rank of General of the Army has historically been reserved for wartime use and is not currently active in the U.S. military. The General of the Army insignia consisted of five 3/8th inch stars in a pentagonal pattern, with points touching. The insignia was paired with the gold and enameled United States Coat of Arms on service coat shoulder loops. The silver colored five-star metal insignia alone would be worn for use as a collar insignia of grade and on the garrison cap. Soft shoulder epaulettes with five 7/16th inch stars in silver thread and gold-threaded United States Coat of Arms on green cloth were worn with shirts and sweaters.

United States Army Land warfare branch of the United States Armed Forces

The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the seven uniformed services of the United States, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution. As the oldest and most senior branch of the U.S. military in order of precedence, the modern U.S. Army has its roots in the Continental Army, which was formed to fight the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783)—before the United States of America was established as a country. After the Revolutionary War, the Congress of the Confederation created the United States Army on 3 June 1784 to replace the disbanded Continental Army. The United States Army considers itself descended from the Continental Army, and dates its institutional inception from the origin of that armed force in 1775.

Eulji

Col. Edwin A. Doss' Eulji Medal with Silver Star (1952-63 design) Korean Ulchi Medal with Silver Star.jpg
Col. Edwin A. Doss' Eulji Medal with Silver Star (1952–63 design)
Chesty Puller United States Marine Corps general

Lewis Burwell "Chesty" Puller was a United States Marine Corps lieutenant general who fought guerrillas in Haiti and Nicaragua and, as a senior officer, served with distinction in World War II and the Korean War.

William P. Yarborough American general

Lieutenant General William Pelham Yarborough was a senior United States Army officer. Yarborough designed the U.S. Army's parachutist badge, paratrooper or 'jump' boots, and the airborne jump uniform. He is known as the "Father of the Modern Green Berets." He is descended from the Yorkshire House of Yarborough. Yarborough is a distant cousin to such British noble figures as the Baron Deramore and Lord Alvingham.

Chungmu

Han Moo-hyup retired South Korean soldier, businessman and government official

Major-General Han Moo-hyup was a Korean army general, businessman, and high-level government official of the Republic of Korea. He was the Honorary Chairman of the Korea Esperanto-Asocio, formerly major general of the Republic of Korea Army, and CEO and owner of Hyundai Insurance. Park Chung-hee, former president of South Korea, officiated at Han's wedding as an old friend.

Republic of Korea Army Land warfare branch of South Koreas military

The Republic of Korea Army, also known as the ROK Army, is the army of South Korea, responsible for ground-based warfare. It is the largest of the military branches of the Republic of Korea Armed Forces with 464,000 members as of 2018. This size is maintained through conscription; South Korean men must complete 21 months of military service between the age of 18 and 35.

Alfredo M. Santos Filipino General

Alfredo Manapat Santos was Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines in 1962 to 1965, making him the first four-star general of the Philippines' armed forces.

Hwarang

Inheon

Yoon Jang-ho was a South Korean soldier.

See also

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References

  1. "Awards and Decorations Act". Act No. 11690 of Error: the date or year parameters are either empty or in an invalid format, please use a valid year for year, and use DMY, MDY, MY, or Y date formats for date.(in English and Korean) Korea Legislation Research Institute. Retrieved 2018-02-15.
  2. "훈장과 포장" [Orders and Medals]. Decorations of the Republic of Korea (in Korean). Ministry of Interior and Safety. 2015. Retrieved 2018-02-15.
  3. "Republic of South Korea Awards Four U.S. Veterans Its Nation's Highest Military Award: The Order of Military Merit, Taeguk - Post Eagle Newspaper".