The Grand Order of Mugunghwa () is the highest national order awarded by South Korea. It is awarded to the President of South Korea, and it may be awarded to their spouse, heads or former heads of state of South Korean allies, and their spouses. The order is presented for, "Outstanding meritorious services in the interest of promoting the development and security of the Republic of Korea."
The Grand Order of Mugunghwa takes its name from South Korea's national flower, the hibiscus. The hibiscus is a cultivar native to the Korean peninsula and has great cultural significance in Korean history.
Appearance
The Grand Order of Mugunghwa consists of "an insignia worn around the neck, a badge affixed to sash worn over the shoulder and a star, with a ribbon and a lapel badge as necessary", according to law. The Grand Order of Mugunghwa may be made of gold, silver, ruby and amethyst. As of 2013, the cost to produce it was approximately 20 million won, or 19,000 US$.
Controversies The Grand Order of Mugunghwa is traditionally awarded to the incoming President of South Korea shortly after their inauguration. However, Former President Roh Moo-hyun opted to accept the award upon his departure from office in 2008. Subsequent presidents established this precedent and opted to receive the award after finishing their term in full (Lee Myung-bak and Moon Jae-in).
After their conviction for treason in 1996, former presidents Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo were ordered to return the Grand Order of Mugunghwa along with other state decorations. While Chun agreed to return the awards, he and Roh never did.
By statute, the Grand Order of Mugunghwa is the highest decoration in Korea; however, in the eyes of the public, it is not well regarded. Many Koreans feel that the order has far less significance. This is because it is self-awarded and is based on winning an election, not on any positive achievements for the country. It is also given to foreign heads of state, not necessarily because of what they have done for Korea, but for what they may do for Korea in the future.
Recipients
YearNameTitleNationality1949Syngman RheePresidentSouth Korea1960Yun PosunPresident1963Park Chung HeePresident1964Heinrich LübkePresidentWest GermanyWilhelmine LübkeFirst lady1966Ismail Nasiruddin of TerengganuKingMalaysiaTengku Ampuan Tua Intan ZaharahQueenBhumibol AdulyadejKingThailandSirikitQueenChiang Kai-shekPresidentChina1967Yuk Young-sooFirst ladySouth Korea1968Haile SelassieEmperorEthiopia1969Nguyễn Văn ThiệuPresidentSouth VietnamNguyễn Thị Mai AnhFirst ladyHamani DioriPresidentNigerAissa DioriFirst lady1970Fidel Sánchez HernándezPresidentEl SalvadorMarina UriarteFirst lady1975Omar BongoPresidentGabonJosephine BongoFirst lady1979Léopold Sédar SenghorPresidentSenegalColette Hubert SenghorFirst ladyChoi Kyu-hahPresidentSouth KoreaHong GiFirst lady1980Khalid of Saudi ArabiaKingSaudi ArabiaJaber Al-Ahmad Al-SabahEmirKuwaitChun Doo-hwanPresidentSouth KoreaLee Soon-jaFirst lady1981SuhartoPresidentIndonesiaSiti HartinahFirst ladyAhmad Shah of PahangKingMalaysiaTengku Ampuan AfzanQueenFerdinand MarcosPresidentPhilippinesImelda MarcosFirst ladyRodrigo Carazo OdioPresidentCosta RicaEstrella Zeledón LizanoFirst lady1982Samuel DoePresidentLiberiaMobutu Sese SekoPresidentZaireBobi Ladawa MobutuFirst ladyAbdou DioufPresidentSenegalKenan EvrenPresidentTurkey1983Gaafar NimeiryPresidentSudanButina Khalil AbbulhashanFirst ladyHussein of JordanKingJordanQueen Noor of JordanQueen1984Hassanal BolkiahSultanBruneiKhalifa bin Hamad Al ThaniEmirQatarDawda JawaraPresidentGambiaChilele JawaraFirst ladyMaumoon Abdul GayoomPresidentMaldives1985Muhammad Zia-ul-HaqPresidentPakistanLuis Alberto MongePresidentCosta Rica1986Elizabeth IIQueenUnited KingdomBaudouin of BelgiumKingBelgium1987Ahmed AbdallahPresidentComoros1988Roh Tae-wooPresidentSouth KoreaKim Ok-sukFirst ladyIskandar of JohorKingMalaysiaTunku Puan ZanariahQueen1989Richard von WeizsäckerPresidentWest GermanyFrançois MitterrandPresidentFranceDanielle MitterrandFirst lady1990Andrés RodríguezPresidentParaguayÁrpád GönczPresidentHungary1991Azlan Shah of PerakKingMalaysiaRaja Permaisuri BainunQueenCarlos Salinas de GortariPresidentMexico1992Jorge Serrano ElíasPresidentGuatemala1993Kim Young-samPresidentSouth KoreaSon Myung-soonFirst ladyFidel RamosPresidentPhilippinesAmelita RamosFirst lady1994Eduardo Frei Ruiz-TaglePresidentChileLech WałęsaPresidentPoland1995Islam KarimovPresidentUzbekistanRoman HerzogPresidentGermanyZhelyu ZhelevPresidentBulgariaNelson MandelaPresidentSouth AfricaCarlos MenemPresidentArgentina1996Álvaro ArzúPresidentGuatemalaFernando Henrique CardosoPresidentBrazilJuan Carlos I of SpainKingSpainQueen Sofía of SpainQueenTuanku Ja’afarKingMalaysiaLeonid KuchmaPresidentUkraine1998Kim Dae-jungPresidentSouth KoreaLee Hee-hoFirst lady2000Carlo Azeglio CiampiPresidentItalyJacques ChiracPresidentFrance2006Abdelaziz BouteflikaPresidentAlgeria2007Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-SabahEmirKuwaitHamad bin Khalifa Al ThaniEmirQatar2008Roh Moo-hyunPresidentSouth KoreaKwon Yang-sookFirst lady2009Nursultan NazarbayevPresidentKazakhstanAlan GarcíaPresidentPeruGiorgio NapolitanoPresidentItaly2011Margrethe II of DenmarkQueen Denmark2012Carl XVI Gustaf of SwedenKingSwedenKhalifa bin Zayed Al NahyanPresidentUnited Arab Emirates2013Lee Myung-bakPresidentSouth KoreaKim Yoon-okFirst ladyPark Geun HyePresident2014Susilo Bambang YudhoyonoPresidentIndonesia2015Ollanta HumalaPresidentPeru2018Emmanuel MacronPresidentFrance2019Harald VKingNorway2021Alexander Van der BellenPresidentAustriaFelipe VI of SpainKingSpainIván Duque MárquezPresidentColombiaBorut PahorPresidentSlovenia2022Moon Jae-inPresidentSouth KoreaKim Jung-sookFirst lady2023Andrzej DudaPresidentPolandSergio MattarellaPresidentItalyCharles IIIKingUnited KingdomWillem-AlexanderKingNetherlands2024Dina BoluartePresidentPeru2025Donald TrumpPresidentUnited States2026Prabowo SubiantoPresidentIndonesia
See also Orders, decorations, and medals of South Korea
References
External links Images of Grand Order of Mugunghwa (in Korean with some English)