Prison Guard Medals

Prison Guard Medals 교도관기장

On March 13, 1982, Prison Guard Medals were established under Presidential Decree #10759 (KwanBo #9087). The Decree established four medals:

Original Drawing

A Medal for the Director of a Correctional Institution, and,
Three Long Service Medals:
1. The Sincerity Medal for 10 years of service or more,
2. The Service Medal for 20 years of service or more, and,
3. The Loyalty Medal for 30 Years of service or more.

The medals are awarded by the Minister of Justice.  Medals for Directors are generally awarded in person by the Minister on December 31st of the year.  A certificate accompanies each award. In cases where the awardee could not receive the award in person due to unavoidable circumstances, one of his family members or a deputy could be awarded on behalf of him/her. Only the awardee can wear the medal and in case of his/her death, his/her family members can keep it. The Minister of Justice maintains the award register and makes it available to the general public.

The original drawings from the Presidential Decree #10759 were black and white and showed very little detail. (See the Director’s Medal at left.) Enlarging the pictures only worsened it. The pictures below are from “Establishment of Regulations for Awarding Correctional Officer Badges (draft)” (교정공무원기장 수여 규정 제정 (안) #855, dated Mar. 19, 2012) and “Regulations on Awarding and Wearing of Correctional Officer Badges”, etc. (교정공무원기장등수여및패용에관한규정 #1110, dated June 20, 2017). I have only been able to find two pictures. If and when I can find more or better pictures, I will add them.

Medal for the Director of a Correctional Institution

Director’s Medal, also known as the Commander’s Medal

The Long Service Medals

The Sincerity Medal for 10 years of service or more
The Service Medal for 20 years of service or more
The Loyalty Medal for 30 years of service or more
The Sincerity Medal for 10 years of service or more. This is the only picture that I have been able to find.
The Service Medal for 20 years of service or more. This is the only picture that I have been able to find.
Ribbon Bar Drawings

Other Correctional Medals

(Medal) Commemorating the Implementation of the Advanced Correctional System 선진 교정제도 시행 기념장, Oct. 2009.
Commemorative Medal for the 60th Anniversary of the Founding of the Republic of Korea 건국 60주년 교정발전 기념장, Oct. 2008.

Correctional Badges and Patches

Correctional Facility Security Guards 교정시설경비교도대설

Do not confuse Prison Guards with Correctional Facility Security Guards. There was a fear that North Koreans could assault South Korean prisons, to free political dissidents. Correctional Facility Security Guard legislation specifically states: “to perform….operational missions such as refusal to infiltrate armed communist agents, etc.”.

Originally, under the Military Service Law, Article 24 전환복무 (轉換服務)(Conversion Service through Assignment),1 the Ministry of Corrections could request military assistance to guard their facilities. For all practical purposes, these were military personnel, not security guards. This ceased with Military Service Law No. 14170 on May 29, 2016.2

The Correctional Facility Guard Training Corps 교정시설경비교도대 (矯正施設警備矯導隊) or the Ministry of Justice Correctional Facility Guard Training Corps 법무부교정시설경비교도대 (法務部矯正施設警備矯導隊) was established in 1981. It is a unit whose members belong to the Ministry of Justice. Koreans could fulfill their mandatory military service obligation by doing security duties and protecting correctional facilities such as prisons and detention centers nationwide. They enter the military, but their service is converted to that of a Correctional Facility Security Guard. Their military specialty code is that of an Infantry Rifleman in the Korean Army. In general, prison guards treated the correctional facility security guards as inferiors and the relationship between them was not good. Upon the completion of their service, they are transferred back to the Ministry of National Defense on their discharge date and are subsequently discharged, after which they are assigned to the Army Reserve. The Correctional Facility Security Forces Establishment Act 교정시설경비교도대설치법 was created on April 13, 1981,3 with the first unit being established on July 31, 1981. After the 329th group enlisted on March 28, 2011, new draft conversions were stopped, and the corps was abolished on December 27, 2012.4

Unlike the Prison Guards, there are no medals specifically designed for the Correctional Facility Security Guards.

Footnotes:

  1. Originally established as 병역법 [법률 제41호, 1949. 8. 6., 제정]
  2. Article 24 removed from legislation under 병역법 [시행 2016. 11. 30.] [법률 제14170호, 2016. 5. 29., 타법개정]
  3. Established under 교정시설경비교도대설치법 [법률 제3431호, 1981. 4. 13., 제정]
  4. Abolished under 교정시설경비교도대설치법 11. 30. [법률 제14170호, 2016. 5. 29., 타법폐지]

Back to top