The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs is looking for descendants of independence activists who were awarded national honors but have not yet received them due to unverified family ties.
If you believe you may be a descendant, you can apply with documents such as a family register or genealogy records. Once verified, the medal will be formally presented.
For more information, please call ☎1577-0606.

Meritorious Service Record

Stephen Ambrose Beck played a crucial role in supporting the Korean independence movement by smuggling key documents to the United States and advocating for Korea’s independence internationally as a publicist for the Korean Commission to American and Europe (구미위원부) and secretary of the Korean Friends Association (한국친우회) and Korea Relief Association (한인구제회).
Beck graduated from Macmillan University and Nebraska Wesleyan University. In November 1899, he arrived in Korea as a missionary for the Methodist Episcopal Church. He served as the head of the Northern Methodist Publishing House and secretary and treasurer of the Methodist Conference before returning to the U.S. in 1908.
In May 1911, Beck returned to Korea as general secretary of the American Bible Society in Korea, but left for the U.S. again in May 1919, resigning from his post in December 1919.
In April 1919, he accompanied British consular officials, foreign journalists, and missionaries to the site of the Jeam-ri Church Massacre, where he witnessed the brutal killings and arson committed by Japanese forces.
Before departing for the United States in May 1919, Beck smuggled documents related to the March 1st Movement, including official records from the short-lived "Hansung Government", hiding them in his belongings to deliver to the Korean independence movement abroad.
In July 1919, at a church exposition in Miami, he publicly displayed photographs of the Jeam-ri Massacre, exposing Japan’s brutal suppression of Korean protests. He also gave these photographs to U.S. Senator George W. Norris, who later presented them in Congress to raise international awareness of Japan’s actions in Korea.
Between May and September 1919, Beck gave speeches in over 200 locations across the U.S., detailing the suffering of the Korean people.
In October 1919, he briefly returned to Korea, where Yi Sang-jae (李商在) entrusted him with additional documents related to the March 1st Movement. Upon his departure in November 1919, he successfully delivered these documents to Syngman Rhee (李承晩) in the U.S.
In September 1919, Beck was appointed as a publicist for the Korean Commission to America and Europe. In March 1920, acting as secretary of the League of Friends of Korea, he submitted a resolution from the Washington Ministers’ Alliance to U.S. Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby, urging the U.S. government to intervene in Korea’s fight for independence.
In 2015, the South Korean government posthumously awarded Stephen Ambrose Beck the Order of Merit for National Foundation (National Medal) in recognition of his contributions to Korea’s independence.