Medal - Korean Service Medal ND

Reverse

Korean "taegeuk" symbol taken from the center of the South Korean national flag

Script: Latin

Lettering: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Edge

Plain

Comment

Although the Korean War Armistice ended combat operations in Korea on 27 July 1953, the Korean Service Medal was issued until June 1954 due to the tense nature of the occupation and garrison duty immediately after the armistice, as well as the high possibility of a renewed attack by North Korea. After 1954, the Korean Service Medal was no longer issued although the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal was authorized for Korean area service between October 1, 1966 to June 30, 1974. As of 2004, a new medal known as the Korea Defense Service Medal was authorized for members of the armed forces who served in the defense of the Republic of Korea from July 28, 1954 to a date to be determined.

The KSM was designed by the Army Heraldic Section. The color scheme of the ribbon is derived from the Flag of the United Nations, as it was under the auspices of the United Nations (United Nations Security Council Resolution 82) that the war was conducted. The medal itself features a "Korean gateway," most likely an iljumun, on the front, and a taegeuk on the reverse.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_Service_Medal