The Order of Diplomatic Service Merit () 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 enhancing national prestige and promoting amity with allies."(in English and Korean) Korea Legislation Research Institute. Retrieved 2018-02-16. It is a relatively rare honor, being usually awarded to a handful of people every year, and is one of the highest civilian awards of South Korea.
Grades The Order of Diplomatic Service Merit is divided into 5 grades. The first grade has two classes; the higher class is reserved for the most high-ranking diplomats. GradeNameRibbon1stGrand Gwanghwa Medal (광화대장)Gwanghwa Medal (광화장)2ndHeungin Medal (흥인장)3rdSungnye Medal (숭례장)4thChangui Medal (창의장)5thSukjeong Medal (숙정장)
Recipients David Manker Abshire, former Ambassador to NATO, United States Georges Arsenijevic, technical advisor, Korean Cultural Center, France Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO, Bulgaria Pengiran Muda Mohamed Bolkiah, Prince of Brunei Pengiran Muda Jefri Bolkiah, Member of the Bruneian Royal Family Sam Brownback, former US Senator from Kansas, current Governor of the State of Kansas, United States Fredrick Chien, Director-General of the Government Information Office, R.O.C., Taiwan Barry Devolin, MP, Canada Gyanendra, King of Nepal (then Prince of Nepal) Henrik, Prince Consort of Denmark Queen Silvia of Sweden Queen Sonja of Norway Queen Letizia of Spain Queen Máxima of the Netherlands Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, Prime Minister, Pakistan Henry Hyde, Congressman, United States Lee Khoon Choy, MP and Ambassador, Singapore Darell Leiking, MP and former Minister of International Trade and Industry of Malaysia Joe Lieberman, Senator, United States Pin Malakul, Minister of Education and Culture, Thailand Kamisese Mara, Prime Minister, Fiji Zoila Martínez, Ambassador to South Korea, Dominican Republic Alois Mock, Vice Chancellor and Foreign Minister, Austria Khaldoon Al Mubarak, Chairman of the Executive Affairs Authority, United Arab Emirates Nguyễn Bá Lương, Speaker of the House of Representatives, South Vietnam Anand Panyarachun, Thailand Bernhard Paus, humanitarian, Norway Abu Saleh Mohammad Mustafizur Rahman, MP and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bangladesh Lars Løkke Rasmussen, Prime Minister, Denmark Ryoichi Sasakawa, MP and industrialist, Japan Edward Seaga, Prime Minister, Jamaica Vajiralongkorn, King of Thailand (then Crown Prince of Thailand) Sirindhorn, Princess Royal of Thailand Pramarn Adireksarn, former Deputy Prime Minister of Thailandราชกิจจานุเบกษา, แจ้งความสำนักนายกรัฐมนตรี เรื่อง พระราชทานพระบรมราชานุญาตประดับเครื่องอิสริยาภรณ์ต่างประเทศ , เล่ม ๙๘ ตอนที่ ๑๐๕ ง ฉบับพิเศษ หน้า ๑๘, ๑ กรกฎาคม ๒๕๒๔ Prem Tinsulanonda, former Prime Minister of Thailand Venu Srinivasan, industrialist, India Sergei Stepashin, Prime Minister, Russia James Van Fleet, Army General, United States Tengku Intan Zaharah, Queen consort of Malaysia Mochtar Kusumaatmadja, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Indonesia Ginandjar Kartasasmita, Speaker of the Regional Representative Council of Indonesia Thomas Lembong, Minister of Trade of Indonesia Hatta Rajasa, Coordinating Ministers for the Economy of Indonesia Widodo Budidarmo, Chief of the Indonesian National Police L. B. Moerdani, Commander of the Indonesian National Armed Forces Sudharmono, Vice President of Indonesia Mahathir Mohamad, Prime Minister of Malaysia Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Prime Minister of Malaysia Sultanah Zanariah Queen Consort of Malaysia Amb. Anne Höglund, former ambassador of the Kingdom of Sweden. Park Hang-seo, head coach of the Vietnam national team. Pham Binh Minh, Former Deputy Prime Minister of Vietnam Dato Lim Jock, ASEAN General Secretary Trần Văn Túy, Chairman of the Vietnam - Korea Parliamentary Friendship Group Frédéric Jenny, chairman, OECD Competition Committee Agata Kornhauser-Duda, First Lady of Poland Admiral Harry B. Harris Jr., Ambassador of the U.S. to South Korea, 2018-2021 Fatih Birol, executive director of the International Energy Agency James Soong, Taiwan Prince Clem Ikanade Agba, Minister of State for Budget & National Planning, Nigeria
See also Orders, decorations, and medals of South Korea
References
External links Images of the Order of Service Merit (in Korean with some English)