Medal Society of Ireland

The Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Clyde Road, Dublin, was the setting for a June 25^th  presentation ceremony  commemorating  the 60^th anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War  recognising  the service of Irish veterans  who fought to defend the freedom of the Republic of Korea at  which  Ambassador  Chang Yeob Kim presented  Korean War service medals and  certificates  to Irish veterans and relatives of veterans  who served during the  Korean War. The ceremony marked the culmination of an effort by the Embassy of Korea to honour Irish veterans of the Korean War.            

Those who were presented with the Korean War Service Medal and Certificate included – 

·         Andrew Coleman ­          on behalf of his father John Coleman

·         Elizabeth Farrell ­          on behalf of his father Michael McSherry

·         Deborah Hutchinson ­          on behalf of her father Brendan Hutchinson

·         Michael Keogh Snr ­          on behalf of his brother Daniel Joseph Keogh

·         Bernard Mulhall­          on behalf of his brother Christopher Mulhall

·         Donal O’ Connell ­          on behalf of his uncle Alphonsus O’Connell

·         Aubrey John Bunyan

·         John Joseph Clarke

·         Canon Thomas Robert Jennings

·         Michael Kehoe

·         Michael C. Kelly

·         Thomas William O’Keefe

·         John Oliver Powell

·         Kevin Wood

·         John Hawkins 

Two veterans were in attendance and who will receive their medals in the coming weeks  were  

·         John Taheny 

·         Thomas McKenzie. 

The Korean War Veterans Association issues the Korean War Service Medal and Certificate. The Certificate is co-signed by Mr. Yang Kim, Minister for Patriots and Veterans Affairs, and Mr. Se-Hwan Park, Chairman of the Korean Veterans Association.    This medal was first authorised as the Incident Participation Medal in December 1950 to South Korean troops who had participated in the initial counter-assaults against North Korean aggression in June 1950. In 1954, the South Korean government authorised this medal, now called the Korean War Service Medal, to all U.N. troops  who had fought in the Korean War  between June 25^th 1950 to July 27^th 1953. Up to 1999 members of the U.S. armed forces were precluded from receiving or wearing this decoration until the regulations in force with regard to receiving and wearing foreign decorations were amended to allow the receipt and wearing of this decoration. In 1999  the South Korean government proposed the decoration to be reactivated  and  awarded retroactively awarded  to all Korean  and U.N. veterans  who had served  in the Korean War.  

In April 2001 the Korean War Service Medal was authorised for distribution  and wear  by serving  members of the British Commonwealth forces  including  the New Zealand Defence Force.