US Silver Star Medal reissued to late S. Korean veteran of Korean War
Summary
South Korean veteran Nam Woon-soo was posthumously reissued the U.S. Silver Star Medal at a ceremony at Daejeon National Cemetery on Wednesday. He received the medal in 1953 for his role in the 1952 Battle of White Horse Hill, but it went missing decades later. After his family sought help in February, South Korean and U.S. agencies cooperated to secure its reissue.
Key Facts
- Nam was an Army staff sergeant and also received South Korea’s Chungmu Order of Military Merit in 1953.
- During the battle, Nam crawled to the entrance of an enemy position and destroyed it, helping neutralize enemy firepower.
- Nam expressed frustration and regret over the missing medal before his death in 1997.
- The family’s earlier request to the South Korean government was denied because the medal had been issued by the U.S. government.
- The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission worked with the Eighth U.S. Army, the National Archives of Korea and the South Korean Army to obtain the reissued medal.
Passersby walk in front of a statue commemorating South Korean soldiers during the Korean War at the War Memorial of Korea in Seoul, June 24. Korea Times photo by Kang Ye-jin
A late South Korean veteran who was awarded the U.S. Silver Star Medal for his role in a Korean War battle in 1952 has recently been reissued the medal posthumously after it went missing decades ago, officials said Wednesday.
Late Army Staff Sgt. Nam Woon-soo was given the U.S. honor, as well as the Chungmu Order of Military Merit from the South Korean government, in 1953 for playing a key role in the Battle of White Horse Hill in what is the current border town of Cheorwon, some 80 kilometers northeast of Seoul.
During the battle, Nam crawled his way up to the entrance of the enemy's position and destroyed it, making a decisive contribution to neutralizing enemy firepower. It was one of the Korean War's most fiercely fought battles between the U.S.-backed South Korean forces and the communist troops from China.
After the medal went missing somehow, Nam had expressed frustration and regret before his death in 1997.
His bereaved family later asked the South Korean government to reissue the medal, but the request was denied on grounds that it was issued by the U.S. government.
In February this year, the family filed a request with the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission for help in getting the medal reissued. The agency has since cooperated successfully with the Eighth U.S. Army, the National Archives of Korea and the South Korean Army to get it reissued.
Recently, the medal arrived in South Korea from the U.S. Department of Defense, and the civil right commission held a ceremony at the Daejeon National Cemetery on Wednesday to hand the medal over to the deceased hero, officials said.
"We are grateful to the U.S. government for reissuing the Silver Star Medal after 73 years. It is deeply meaningful to be able to bring closure to the long-held sorrow of a hero who dedicated himself to his country and his surviving family," Jung Il-yeon, chairperson of the commission, said during the ceremony.
"Moving forward, we will make sure to provide due recognition and treatment befitting such service to the nation," he said.
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