The Order of Merit for National Foundation () 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."(in English and Korean) Korea Legislation Research Institute. Retrieved 2018-02-14. 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.
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.
Kim Ku An Jung-geun Cho Man-sik Kim Chwajin
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) Bhumibol Adulyadej (1981)
See also Orders, decorations, and medals of South Korea
References
External links Images of the Order of Merit for National Foundation (in Korean with some English)