The Order of Merit for National Foundation (Korean: 건국훈장) is one of South Korea's orders of merit. It is awarded by the President of South Korea for "outstanding meritorious services in the interest of founding or laying a foundation for the Republic of Korea." The Order was originally established under a slightly different name 건국공로훈장 (建國功勞勳章) by Presidential Decree #82, on Apr. 27, 1949, and is the oldest Order of the Republic of Korea. On January 16, 1967, there were major changes made to the Order of National Foundation under Presidential Decree #2929. The name of the Order was shortened from 건국공로훈장 (建國功勞勳章) to 건국훈장 (建國勳章), and all three classes got new names and designs.
| Order of Merit for National Foundation | |
|---|---|
3rd Grade Order of Merit for National Foundation. | |
| Awarded by South Korea | |
| Type | Order of merit |
| Awarded for | Outstanding meritorious services in the interest of founding or laying a foundation for the Republic of Korea. |
| Status | Active |
| Grades | Republic of Korea Medal Presidential Medal Independence Medal Patriotic Medal National Medal |
| Precedence | |
| Next (higher) | Grand Order of Mugunghwa |
| Related |
|
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 건국훈장 |
|---|---|
| Hanja | 建國勳章 |
| RR | Geonguk hunjang |
| MR | Kŏn'guk hunjang |
Grades
The Order of Merit for National Foundation is awarded in five grades.
| Grade | Name | Ribbon |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Republic of Korea Medal (대한민국장) | |
| 2nd | Presidential Medal (대통령장) | |
| 3rd | Independence Medal (독립장) | |
| 4th | Patriotic Medal (애국장) | |
| 5th | National Medal (애족장) |
Recipients
By 2005 about 8,000 people had received the Order. Many of its recipients have only been awarded the Order posthumously, often because they died before it was established; these include Kim Ku, An Jung-geun, and Cho Man-sik.
Presidents of the Republic of Korea receive the order upon taking office. At the moment, there are 8 known presidents who have received this order.
Recipients:
Presidents of the Republic of Korea:
1. Yoon Seok Yeol (May 10, 2022)
2. Lee Jae Myung (June 4, 2025)
3. Moon Jae In (May 10, 2017)
4. Chun Doo-hwan (September 1, 1980)
5. Park Chung Hee (December 17, 1963)
6. Syngman Rhee (July 24, 1948)
7. Choi Kyu-hah (December 6, 1979)
8. Kim Young-sam (February 25, 1993)
Foreign leaders
- Chiang Kai-shek (November 27, 1953)
See also
- Orders, decorations, and medals of South Korea
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