General MacArthur, 'Taeguk Mugunghwa Medal No. 1', Receives Actual Medal After 74 Years

by Kim Eunha

Published 27 Jan.2024 10:09(KST)

Awarded the Order of Merit for National Foundation at the time

The actual Taeguk Order of Military Merit was presented to General Douglas MacArthur, the first Commander of the United Nations Command, who contributed to the defense of the Republic of Korea during the Korean War through the Incheon Landing Operation. It has been 74 years since he received the medal.

On the 26th, at the MacArthur Memorial located in Norfolk, Virginia, Lee Kyung-gu, the Defense Attach? to the United States, is presenting the actual Taeguk Military Merit Medal of General MacArthur to Kenneth Alexander, the Mayor of Norfolk.
[Photo by Ministry of National Defense]

On the 26th (local time), the Ministry of National Defense held a ceremony to present the actual Taeguk Order of Military Merit to General MacArthur at the MacArthur Memorial located in Norfolk, Virginia, USA. The day was especially meaningful as it was both General MacArthur’s birthday and the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the MacArthur Memorial.

Kenneth Alexander, Mayor of Norfolk, accepted the medal on behalf of the MacArthur Foundation and the MacArthur Memorial, expressing gratitude to the Korean government. General MacArthur, his wife, and Jean MacArthur are all interred at the MacArthur Memorial.

The Taeguk Order of Military Merit is the highest military decoration awarded by the government. Originally, General MacArthur received the Republic of Korea’s First Class Order of Military Merit (now the Taeguk Order of Military Merit) from President Syngman Rhee at the capital return ceremony commemorating the recapture of Seoul on September 29, 1950. At that time, the government awarded the certificate of the Order of Military Merit but presented the physical medal as the Order of Merit for National Foundation instead, with a plan to exchange it for the actual medal once it was produced. The physical medal began to be produced in May 1951, the following year.

The exchange had not been completed until a citizen’s tip brought it back to attention. Upon learning that only the certificate was still kept at the MacArthur Memorial, the Ministry of National Defense, in consultation with the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, delivered the actual Taeguk Order of Military Merit after 74 years. A letter of appreciation from the Minister of National Defense was also presented to the citizen who provided the tip. This citizen reportedly had a strong interest in locating Korean War military merit medals.

Arthur MacArthur IV, General MacArthur’s only son, expressed in a letter that the medal is a "symbol of his father’s legacy" and that it "will forever bind the people of the Republic of Korea and General MacArthur."

The Ministry of National Defense stated, "We will continue efforts to find and remember heroes who devoted themselves to protecting the free Republic of Korea."