I am an editorial writer at The Korea Times, focusing on foreign policy, North Korea and domestic politics. My key areas of interest include North Korea, foreign interference in elections, election integrity, cyberattacks and human rights. Prior to joining the Editorial Board, I served as both Politics Desk editor and Culture Desk editor. During my career, I have reported on the Presidential Office under the Lee Myung-bak administration, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Assembly.
Late US journalist decorated for covering Korean War
By Kang Hyun-kyung
The late Marguerite Higgins (1920-1966), an American journalist, was decorated with a medal for her distinguished service as a Korean War correspondent, Thursday.
Yu Myung-hwan, minister of foreign affairs and trade, awarded the distinguished order of diplomatic service to Linda Vanderbleek, the daughter of the late journalist, on behalf of Higgins at the foreign ministry building in Seoul.
In a statement, the foreign ministry said Higgins covered the Korean War (1950-1953), including Gen. Doulas MacArthur’s Incheon landing operation, code named “Operation Chromite,” in great detail.
Her coverage helped steer the international community to be supportive of South Korea during the war, the foreign ministry said of the selection criteria.
After joining the New York Herald Tribune as a reporter, Higgins served as a Tokyo bureau chief in 1950, covered the Korean War firsthand from 1950 to 1951 and covered the former Soviet Union as a Moscow bureau chief in 1955.
She was the first female journalist to win the Pulitzer Prize in 1951 for her book, entitled “War in Korea.”
The publication was the first edition to contain accounts of the Korean War.
Higgins graduated from the University of California at Berkeley and went on to Columbia to obtain a masters degree in journalism.
She contracted leishmaniasis, a tropical disease that led to her death at age 45, while on assignment in 1965. She married Lieutenant General William E. Hall and had a daughter and a son.