Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation

The Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation (Korean: 대한민국 대통령 부대 표창; Hanja: 大韓民國大統領 部隊表彰) is a military unit award of the government of South Korea that may be presented to South Korean military units, and foreign military units for outstanding performance in defense of the Republic of Korea.[2] In recognition of allied military service to South Korea during the Korean War, all United States military departments were authorized the unit award for that period.[3]

Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation


Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation
TypeUnit award
Awarded forExceptional meritorious service to South Korea.[1]
Presented bythe President of South Korea
EligibilitySouth Korea and foreign military units including units that participated in the defense of South Korea as part of the U.N. forces during the Korean War.
StatusCurrently awarded
Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation streamer

Appearance and wear

When the Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation is worn on the South Korea military uniform (right side) it is as a ribbon 1 3⁄8 inches (35 mm) wide surrounded by a gold frame. The ribbon is white, with a 15⁄64 inch (6 mm) red above blue Taeguk in the center. At the edge of the ribbon, on each side, are the following stripes: 13⁄64 inch (5 mm) Hunter Green; 1⁄64 inch (0.4 mm) White; 1⁄64 inch (0.4 mm) Old Glory Red; 1⁄64 inch (0.4 mm) white; 1⁄64 inch (0.4 mm) Old Glory Red; 1⁄64 inch (0.4 mm) white; 1⁄64 inch (0.4 mm) Hunter Green.[4] No ribbon devices are authorized for wear with this award, although a bronze service star on the ribbon can be observed on several portraits of Korean War veterans from the U.S. Armed Forces.

Smaller version

Foreign military unit members who are authorized to wear the award, either wear the award on the right side of the uniform (e.g. U.S. Army) with any other same size unit award emblems or wear the slightly smaller size version of the award on the left side of the uniform (e.g. U.S. Marine Corps, Navy, Coast Guard, Air Force) with their other service ribbons.

Notable recipients

Post-Korean War
  • U.S. Marine Corps for service in South Korea between 9 December 1999 to 24 April 2002.
  • 2nd Infantry Division was recognized in 2011, for their support of South Korea over the preceding 60 years.[5]
  • Seventh Air Force was recognized in October 2013 for longstanding achievements in operational readiness and force employment in South Korea.[6]
  • U.S. Eighth Army was recognized on October 1, 2014, for outstanding performance in defense of the Republic of Korea.[2]
  • U.S. Naval Forces Korea was recognized in September 2017 "outstanding contribution to the defense of the Republic of Korea."[7]
  • Seventh Air Force was recognized in October 2019 for longstanding achievements in operational readiness and force employment in South Korea.[8]

Korean War
  • 1st Marine Division Reinforce for operations from 26 October 1950 to 27 July 1953, including the Inchon landing, Second Battle of Seoul and Battle of Chosin Reservoir[9]
  • 58th Engineer Treadway Bridge Company for their bridge building efforts with the X Corps at the Chosin Reservoir and the Inchon landing in 1950.[10][11][12]
  • 7th Infantry Division three times. The first was for service at Inchon, the second for service during the period of 1950-1953, and finally for deployment to the Korean Peninsula from 1945-1948 and 1953-1971.[13]
  • The French Battalion of the UNO under the operational control of the 23rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, 2nd U.S. Infantry Division receive two times the Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation.
  • One Italian unit, the "Ospedale da Campo n° 68" (Field Hospital no. 68) of "Corpo Militare della Croce Rossa Italiana" (Military Corp of Italian Red Cross), was awarded this battle honour twice: October 6, 1952 and December 30, 1954.
  • One Turkish unit, Turkish Brigade, which repulsed a Chinese force three times its size during the battle of Kumyangjang-Ni (25–26 January) of the Korean War, was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation from the President of Korea on July 11, 1951.
  • The U.S. Army's 65th Infantry Regiment of the 3rd Infantry Division was awarded this battle honor twice during the Korean War. The first was for service in the Uijongbu Corridor in June 1951. The second was for service in the Iron Triangle at Hill 717 in July 1951.[14]
  • One South African unit, the 2 Squadron SAAF was also awarded this battle honour. It was presented on November 1, 1951. It reads "This unit was dispatched from South Africa in support of the United Nations Forces in Korea. It was equipped with P-51 aircraft and has functioned continually in support of operations of the Eighth Army. Through all gallantry and devotion to duty of its personnel it has earned high praise and its losses in pilots have been heavy. It continued to meet cheerfully all tasks allotted to it, and gives a higher performance than is normally expected."[15]
  • 16 Field Regiment of the Royal New Zealand Artillery.
  • A Dutch battalion (Van Heutsz) embedded into the US 2nd Infantry Division was awarded the U.S. Presidential Unit Citation in February 1951, for the capture of Hill 325, north of Manjong Station. The under-strength A Company, reinforced by personnel from B and heavy weapons companies, was ordered to recapture Hill 325 on the 15th of February 1951. At 0230 hrs the next morning, the Dutch were beaten back by heavy machinegun fire; at 0345 hrs they tried again and this time advanced to within 300 metres of the crest before again being repulsed. Just before dawn the exhausted Dutch, their ammunition almost expended, fixed bayonets and, shouting their battle cry, gained their objective. For these actions the Van Heutsz received its first U.S. Presidential Unit Citation. This came at a cost, however, as the battalion had suffered over a hundred casualties.
  • 17th Bombardment Wing, Light [16]
  • 13th Hellenic Air Transport Squadron was part of the Greek Expeditionary Corps and as part of the United Nations multinational forces. The 13th Air Transport Squadron was stationed out of airfield K-16 (Seoul) and used C 47 Dakotas to resupply ground forces, airlift wounded and prisoners out of the war zone, conduct psychological warfare through the dissemination of aerial propaganda and airdrop paratroopers.https://stratistoria.wordpress.com/1901-1950/19500625-korea/1950_korea-ekse/

See also

References
  1. U.S. Army example of the unit award
  2. Eighth Army Public Affairs (1 October 2014). "ROK President awards Eighth Army with the Presidential Unit Citation".
  3. "Foreign Awards" (PDF). Office of the Under Secretary for Personnel and Readiness. Retrieved February 18, 2016.
  4. "Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation". tioh.hqda.pentagon.mil. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
  5. Doscher, Tech. Sgt. Thomas J. (1 October 2013). "ROK President awards 7 AF Presidential Unit Citation". United States Forces Korea. Archived from the original on 11 October 2014. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
  6. Doscher, Tech. Sgt. Thomas J. (11 October 2013). "ROK President awards 7 AF Presidential Unit Citation" (PDF). Crimson Sky (Vol 5, Issue 1). Seventh Air Force. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 December 2014. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
  7. "U.S. Naval Forces Korea Awarded ROK Presidential Unit Citation". Navy.mil. U.S. Naval Forces Public Affairs. 29 September 2017. Retrieved 11 August 2018.
  8. "7 AF Presented ROK Presidential Unit Citation". 7th Air Force Public Affairs. 2 October 2019. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  9. 한국전 공훈 표창
  10. "58th Engineer Company". www.history.army.mil. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  11. "Presidential Citation". Cid189.kwva.org. Retrieved 2018-09-28.
  12. Illinois, Lynnita Jean Brown of Tuscola. "Korean War Educator: Topics - Korean War Presidential Unit Citations, Etc". www.koreanwar-educator.org. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  13. "Lineage and Honors 7th Infantry Division (Bayonet)". history.army.mil. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
  14. "Lineage and Honors 65th Infantry Regiment (The Borinqueneers)". history.army.mil. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
  15. "2 Squadron". af.mil.za/. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
  16. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-07-31. Retrieved 2009-10-25.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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