You will find dozens of websites that refer to the Korean Maritime Police as the Korean Coast Guard, and there is nothing wrong with that. But keep in mind that 해양경찰 does translate as Ocean (Maritime) Police.
Parent agencies Tracing the history of Korean Medals for the Maritime Police can be frustrating, primarily because of all the parent organizations. Each one establishing its own set of rules.
- December 1953 Establishment of the Maritime Police under the Ministry of Home Affairs and Security Bureau 내무부 치안국 소속 해양경찰대 신설
- (Later in) December 1953 to July 1991. Maritime Police Force / Coast Guard (affiliated with the Ministry of Home Affairs / Ministry of Commerce and Industry) 해양경찰대/해양경비대 [내무부/상공부]
- July 1991 to August 1996. Affiliated with the National Police Agency 양경찰청 [경찰청]
- August 1996 to February 2008. Affiliated with the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries 해양경찰청 [해양수산부]
- February 2008 to March 2013. Affiliated with the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs 해양경찰청 [국토해양부]
- March 2013 to November 2014. Affiliated with the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries 해양경찰청 [해양수산부]
- November 2014 to July 2017. Under Ministry of Public Safety and Security as a subordinate agency 해양경비안전본부 [국민안전처]
- July 2017 to present. Within the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries as an independent and external agency 해양경찰청 [해양수산부]
The MV Sewol Disaster 세월호 침몰 사고
On November 7, 2014, the South Korean Coast Guard was broken up because of their poor response to the MV Sewol Disaster 세월호 침몰 사고. The ferry sank on the morning of April 16, 2014.1 President Moon Jae-in announced his plan to re-organize the ministries and government agencies. The South Korean coast guard was revived on July 26, 2017, as an independent, external agency under the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries.
2019 SERIES
On July 30, 2019, 해양경찰청훈령 제134호 “Maritime Police Agency Rule #134” was issued. It was titled 해양경찰표창규칙 “Marine Police Commendation Rules” and lays out the requirements for their commendations, including 표창장 “Commendation Certificates (for Long Service)”, 상장 “Award, Certificates, Honorable Mention”, and 감사장 “Letters of Appreciation”. There is a 4th document in the legislation, 표창 수여증명서 “Certificates of Commendation” which is used when the original document has been lost, stolen or destroyed. The legislation also includes a 1st and 2nd Class Commendation Medal.
The First Class Commendation Medal is very similar to the National Police Commendation Medal. The pendant is 72 mm, with the gold colored Maritime Police Emblem in the center. The 17 mm suspension displays the Mugunghwa Flower. The pendant is suspended from a 38 mm wide cravat. There are no dimensions given for the ribbon length. The legislation shows two different ribbon bars. One has 청장 “Chief” below the illustration and the other has 장관 “Minister”. The ribbon bar illustrations show they are 38 mm x 10 mm, but there are no dimensions given for the stripe pattern. Also included is a 12 mm x 10 mm lapel pin which does not mimic the stripe pattern of either ribbon bar. Both ribbon bars and the lapel pin have a gold colored Maritime Police Emblem in the center.
The legislation does include a drawing of the reverse, but the quality is so low that it is almost impossible to discern. Nevertheless, there are definitely 4 flat lines of text. I believe the top line has 대한민국해양경찰 “Republic of Korea Maritime Police”, and the second line is 1 등급 공로장 “1st Class Merit Medal”. The third line is 금장 “Gold Medal”. The fourth line appears to be 해양경찰청장 “Maritime Police Commissioner”. The 4th line is the only one that I question. More research is needed.
The Second Class Commendation Medal is also very similar to the National Police Commendation Medal. The pendant is 72 mm, with the silver colored Maritime Police Emblem in the center. The 17 mm suspension displays the Mugunghwa Flower. The pendant is suspended from a 38 mm wide cravat. There are no dimensions given for the ribbon length. The legislation does not show two different ribbon bars. However, because the ribbon bar is identical to the First Class ribbon bar denoted as 청장 “Chief”. I assume that it is only awarded by the Chief of the Maritime Police and not by the 장관 “Minister”. The ribbon bar illustrations show they are 38 mm x 10 mm, but there are no dimensions given for the stripe pattern. Also included is a 12 mm x 10 mm lapel pin which does not mimic the stripe pattern of the ribbon bar. Both the ribbon bar and the lapel pin have a silver colored Maritime Police Emblem in the center.
The legislation does include a drawing of the reverse, but the quality is so low that it is almost impossible to discern. Nevertheless, there are definitely 4 flat lines of text. I believe the top line has 대한민국해양경찰 “Republic of Korea Maritime Police”, the second line is 2 등급 공로장 “2nd Class Merit Medal”. The third line is 은장 “Silver Medal”, and the fourth line appears to be 해양경찰청장 “Police Commissioner”. The 4th line is the only one that I question. More research is needed.
2020 SERIES
On Oct. 16, 2020, 해양경찰청훈령 제194호 “Maritime Police Agency Rule #194” was issued. It was titled 해양경찰표창규칙 “Marine Police Commendation Rules”. There is no major difference between it and the 2019 legislation. It has the same poor quality drawings of the medal reverses as the earlier drawing. More research is needed.
Footnotes:
- Out of 476 passengers and crew, the sinking resulted in the Deaths of 304 passengers and crew. An additional 2 rescue divers, and 5 emergency workers, died. There are 5 bodies which were never recovered and remain missing. Among the dead, there were 250 students from Danwon High School in Ansan City.