Order of Military Merit Oddities

Order of Military Merit – 1st Class Breast Stars

Pictured here are two Taeguk Class breast stars.  Variations in the center helmet exist on both the breast stars and on the pendants.  The 1973 legislation gives a helmet dimension of 18 × 14 mm, while the 1984 legislation gives a dimension of 19 mm.  It is unknown if this variation exists in other classes. The number of rays is 192.

1974 Series – Order of Military Merit – Inhun Class

Order of Military Merit – Inhun Class
Order of Military Merit – Inhun Class – Unknown Center Design

Some 1974 or later series Orders of Military Merit have an additional feature. Pictured here is an Inhun Medal with a laurel wreath surrounding a small helmet in the red central field.  Nothing has been found in the Korean legal statutes to explain this variation in design.  The Orders and Medals Department of the Korean government was unable to offer an explanation.   A Hwarang Medal with this same variation is in the David Cabral Collection.  There are 96 rays.