The 5.16 National Award (5.16 민족상) was presented by the May 16th National Award Foundation, a corporation under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. The foundation was established on March 24, 1966, to commemorate the May 16, 1961, Coup d’état by which Major General Park Chung-hee seized control of the Korean government. In his statement of purpose for establishing the foundation, Park described the May 16th Coup as a “great national turning point” and “the beginning of the labor pains to put the nation on the right track.” Over time, this led to criticism that these statements distorted the historical facts and glorified his military coup.
On the reverse is 5.16 民族賞 (민족상) 5.16 National Award, 부장 Breast Star, and the number 제238호. I do not know if this is a production number or a serial number, because I have not been able to find a full list of recipients.
The award was presented annually on May 16th from 1966 until 2015. It recognized the achievements of individuals or organizations that had contributed to Korea’s development after Aug. 15, 1945.1 Some 317 recipients have been awarded the medal, which was awarded in nine categories: science and technology, arts and culture, society and education, security, academics, education, arts, industry, and society. It was funded by donations from corporations such as Daewoo, Hyundai, and Samsung. However, a brief look at the facts reveals that many of the award recipients were important people within the corporations that made the donations. Nevertheless, it was a prestigious award until the 1980s, but as Korea became more democratic, Park Chung-hee’s accomplishments were re-evaluated, and over time this caused the status of the award to decline.
In 2013, Park Chung-hee’s 박정희 (朴正熙; 1917-1979) eldest daughter, Park Geun-hye 박근혜 (朴槿惠; 1952-), was elected and served as the 11th president of South Korea. In 2016 her administration became embroiled in the Park Geun-hye-Choi Soon-sil Gate scandal. She was impeached on Dec. 9, 1916. On April 6, 2018, South Korean courts sentenced her to 24 years in prison (later increased to 25 years) for corruption and abuse of power. This led to a sharp decrease in corporate donations to the May 16th National Award Foundation. This was the death knell of the foundation, and although not officially disbanded, it was effectively disbanded with the last awards being presented in 2015. The foundation’s office in Mapo-gu, located on the western side of Seoul on the north bank of the Han River, sits empty, and their website was shut down in 2017.