On July 24, 2013, Prime Ministerial Decree #1029, established the “Hero of the Nation” Medal. This decree stated: “… (it) shall be awarded to veterans who participated in the 6.25 War…”.1 The decree also states that the awarding of the medal was to be tied to the 60-year commemoration of the armistice which ended the Korean War.
On July 27th, three days after the promulgation of the decree, there was a Commemoration Ceremony “Celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Armistice” 정전 60주년 기념. South Korean President Park Geun-hye 박근혜 and Park Seung-choon 박승춘, the (28th) Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs were present. There was a formal, symbolic presentation of the first “Hero of the Nation” Medal to Park Hee-mo 박희모, the President of the Korean War Veterans’ Association 6·25참전유공자회. Over the next three months, medals, and preparations were made for the presentation of the medal to the approx. 180,000 veterans who were still alive and eligible for the award.
The “Hero of the Nation” Medal is awarded by the Director of the National Veterans Affairs Department. The medal can only be worn by the original recipient.
At the top of the planchet obverse is a Mugunghwa flower, the national flower of Korea. At the bottom is a taeguk symbol, In the center of the medal there are two white doves, symbolizing peace, flying over a map of the Korean peninsula. Above the map is the inscription 정전 60주년 기념 ‘Commemorating the 60th Anniversary of the Armistice’. In the circular border surrounding it, there are the words 자유 ‘Freedom’, 평화 ‘Peace’, 호국 ‘National Defense’, and 영웅 ‘Hero’. On the reverse of the planchet, there is a three line inscription: 대한민국 ‘Republic of Korea’, 6.25 전쟁징전60주년기념 ‘6.25 Commemoration of the 60th Anniversary of the War’, and 호국영웅장 Hero of the Nation.
In 2016, plans were being made to expand the number of recipients of the “Hero of the Nation” medal. This expansion was for the 4,334 people, including veterans, who were newly registered or discovered by the Korean government since July 2013. Korea has a unique feature to their Veteran Status Requirements. To be eligible, you do not have to be a former member of the military or police forces during the war. If you contributed to the fighting, you qualify. As an example, children who were spying for South Korea, behind the North Korean lines are considered veterans and entitled to benefits. Another example would be someone who reported North Korean Cells operating within the borders of South Korea.
In Korea, June is Patriots and Veterans month.
