Wound Medals 상이군인장 (傷痍軍人章)
1949 SERIES
The end of World War II marked the beginning of the Cold War, and Korea was a strategic point that neither side was willing to concede. On August 15, 1948, the Republic of Korea was established. Less than a month later, on September 9, 1948, the Communists established the “Democratic People’s Republic of Korea” in North Korea.
The newly created Republic of Korea, found itself fighting armed communist guerrillas and insurgents. Several temporary medals and ribbons were created by the military, but very little is known about them. Among these medals was a Wound Medal 陸軍軍人常夷 (육군군인상이장) and a Special Wound Medal for permanent disability 特別常夷軍人 (특별상이군인). As far as can be determined, there is nothing in the official records of the central government, and it is believed that the medals were strictly the property of the South Korean Military. Unfortunately, the records of the Korean Defense Department are inaccessible. At that time, Korea had “Combat Police” which did much of the fighting against insurgents. They probably had access to the same medals.
Shown here to your left, is the only known Special Wound Medal 傷痍軍人章 (상이군인장). Virtually nothing is known about this item. This single example came from the Museum Collection of the American Numismatic Society in New York City. It has a 35.5 mm diameter. On the obverse are the Chinese characters “傷痍 軍人” (상이 군인) literally: Wounded Soldier. The ANS example was mounted on heavy paper and was described as “傷痍軍人章 Awarded to G.I. who is wounded 負傷한 軍人 에게授輿함 (부상한 군인 에게수여함).” The reverse carries a Korean date of 4282.6.15 (Jun. 15, 1949) and a number, but it is unknown if this is a serial number or production number. In Dec. 1949, it was donated to the ANS by Major General Edgar Erskine Hume (1889-1952) who was Director General of Medical Services for the U. S. Far East Command under Douglas MacArthur. The ANS sold it at auction on Apr. 26, 2007.
Pictured to the right is the ribbon bar that accompanied the Wound Medal. I do not have pictures of the actual wound medal, but a 1949 newspaper article shows a wound medal, with a ribbon having three stripes. The pendant/badge appears to be the outline of the Korean Peninsula. For pictures of that newspaper article, see my Korea 1945-1950 webpage.
In 1950, the Korean Central Government passed legislation for Wound Medals. In that legislation, they made provisions for a Standard Wound Medal and a Special Wound Medal for Permanent Disability.
1950 SERIES
According to news reports in 2023, approximately 200,000 wound medals have been awarded.
On Oct. 24, 1950, Korea established two new wound medals by Presidential Decree #389. They are classified as “Wound Medal” and “Special Wound Medal”. For clarity, the Wound Medal is often referred to as the “Standard Wound Medal”.
The Standard Wound medal 상이기장 (傷痍記章) has two different suspensions, see the picture below, and comes with possibly three reverses:
- Type 1 – has an area designated for a serial number, and has a serial number. (To date, no wound medals of this type have been observed; however, it has been established that the earlier 1949 wound medals did carry numbers, but it is unknown if they were serial numbers or production numbers.)
- Type 2 – has an area designated for a serial number, but does not have a serial number.
- Type 3 – does not have an area designated for a serial number
The Special Wound Medal 특별상이기장 (特別傷痍記章) is awarded to permanently disabled veterans.
These medals were awarded to soldiers, police officers, civil servants, and the general public.
Notice the two different suspensions
Notice the different methods of mounting
This information is out of date. I present it here because it gives an idea of how the medal was awarded and worn. The original legislation for the Wound Medals was abolished by the Enforcement Rules of the Wound Medal Ordinance 헌신영예기장령 시행규칙 [시행 2023. 3. 23.] [국방부령 제1110호, 2023. 3. 23., 전부개정]. It has been replaced by the “Dedication Honor Medal”, see below.
How to apply for a disability certificate (Information Source: Korean Disabled Veterans Association 대한민국상이군경희)1
According to the 『Disability Medal Ordinance』, a disability medal is awarded to those who are injured while performing official duties necessary for combat or operations, and is divided into two types: a special disability medal (for those who are disabled) and an ordinary disability medal (for those who are not disabled).
Those who receive the Medal of Honor will be awarded a certificate along with the medal, and the person with the authority to award the medal will be the Minister of National Defense. However, for police officers, civil servants, and the general public, the Minister of Public Safety and Security will be entrusted with the execution of the award.
The badge must be worn on the right chest, but the certificate must be carried while it is being worn.
The award is worn by the recipient for life and is preserved by the recipient’s family after death.
Application Procedure for Disability Medal
☞ For those eligible for a disability medal awarded by the Minister of National Defense, the head of the military medical institution must select a person eligible for a disability medal and submit the following documents to the Minister of National Defense through the Chief of Staff of the military branch to which the person with the disability belongs.
1. Application for award of a medal of honor according to the attached format of the 『Enforcement Regulations of the Medal of Honor Act』2
2. A certificate from a witness or a commander who witnessed that the injury was caused by combat or operational duty.
3. At the time of application, the military medical institution or the mayor of a special city, metropolitan city, special autonomous city, provincial governor, or special autonomous province governor.
Medical certificate from a designated medical institution
☞ For police officers, civil servants, and general public who are eligible for the disability certificate commissioned by the Minister of Public Safety and Security, the chief of the police station with jurisdiction over the address at the time of application must make the selection and then apply to the Minister of Public Safety and Security through the city/provincial governor.
Dedication Honor Medal (The New Wound Medals)
On March 21, 2023, the Wound Medal and the Special Wound Badge for Permanent Disability were renamed and redesigned under Presidential Decrees #33335. They were now called the Dedication Honor Medal 헌신영예기장.
The award is not limited to military personnel. Under Article 2 (Detailed criteria for recipients) of the Enforcement Rules of the Order of the Honorable Mention of Dedication3, it states: “The recipients….. are persons falling under each subparagraph of Article 2 of the Military Personnel Management Act, police officers, military personnel, or other persons who have cooperated in combat or military operations, and who have been confirmed to have been injured while performing duties…..”.
I have only been able to find one picture of the new design.
The Dedication Honor Medal is awarded to soldiers who were injured in combat or military operations, but the survivors of the Cheonan sinking, the Yeonpyeong Island bombardment, and the Yeonpyeong Battle did not receive it. In 2023, the government was planning to award the Dedication Honor Medal to all Koreans related to these incidents, starting with the survivors of the Cheonan sinking (awarded Mar. 26, 2023), ostensibly due to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The medals for the Yeonpyeong Battle were awarded on June 29, 2023.
Related Items
隊除誉召 (대제예소)
The red and blue ribbon bar behind the star is for the Standard Wound Medal.
From the George Notarpole Collection. The Chinese characters are written in traditional style (Right to Left).
31.5 x 18.1 mm.
battle.
Presidential Decree #389, Oct. 24, 1950
Footnotes:
- The Korean Disabled Veterans Association was established in Pusan on May 15, 1951. Exactly 5 years later, in 1956, they joined the World Veterans Federation (WVF) which is Headquartered in Paris, France.
- 상이기장령 시행규칙 [시행 2017. 8. 1.] [국방부령 제931호, 2017. 8. 1., 타법개정]
- [Enforcement Date: March 23, 2023] [Ministry of National Defense Decree No. 1110, Completely Revised March 23, 2023]