Status Inactive | ||
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Awarded for service within territorial limits or service that directly supported the military efforts in Korea. Description Obverse: On a bronze medal, 1-1/4 inch in diameter, a Korean gateway, encircled by the inscription "KOREAN SERVICE".Reverse: On the reverse is the Korean "taegeuk" symbol taken from the center of the Korean National flag with the inscription "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA" and a spray of oak and laurel encircling the design.Ribbon: The ribbon is 1-3/8 inches wide and consists of the following stripes: 1/32 inch White; 19/32 inch Bluebird; center 1/8 inch White; 19/32 inch Bluebird; and 1/32 inch White | ||
The Korean Service Medal (KSM) is a military award for service in the United States Armed Forces and was created in November 1950 by executive order of President Harry Truman. The Korean Service Medal is the primary United States military award for participation in the Korean War and is awarded to any U.S. service member, who performed duty in the Republic of Korea, between June 27, 1950 and July 27, 1954.
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Service stars
The United States Department of Defense declared thirteen official campaigns of the Korean War, all of which are annotated by service stars on the Korean Service Medal. Some campaigns apply to all branches of the U.S. military, while others are branch specific. The Korean Service Medal is authorized a service star to denote participation in any of the following campaigns:
Arrowhead device
An arrowhead device is authorized for US Army personnel to denote participation in each of the following:
Fleet Marine Force combat operation insignia
History
Although the Korean War Armistice ended combat operations in Korea on 27 July 1953, the Korean Service Medal was issued until June 1954 due to the tense nature of the occupation and garrison duty immediately after the armistice, as well as the high possibility of a renewed attack by North Korea. After 1954, the Korean Service Medal was no longer issued although the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal was authorized for Korean service in the 1960s. As of 2004, a new medal known as the Korea Defense Service Medal was authorized for all post-Korean War service in the Republic of Korea.
The KSM was designed by the Army Heraldic Section. The color scheme of the ribbon is derived from the Flag of the United Nations, as it was under the auspices of the United Nations (United Nations Security Council Resolution 82) that the war was conducted. The medal itself features a "Korean gateway," most likely an iljumun, on the front, and a taegeuk on the reverse.
The United Nations Service Medal for Korea was usually issued alongside the Korean Service Medal. Beginning in 1999, the Republic of Korea War Service Medal was also awarded to United States service members who received the Korean Service Medal. The Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation is retroactively authorized to any United States Army veteran who served in Korea during the War.