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

Selden Palmer Spencer was a U.S. Senator from Missouri who supported the Korean independence movement by condemning Japanese atrocities and advocating for Korea in the U.S. Congress.
Spencer graduated from Washington University School of Law and worked as a lawyer. From 1897 to 1903, he served as a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals. In April 1918, he assumed office as a Republican U.S. Senator from Missouri and was re-elected in 1920.
In June and August 1919, Spencer delivered speeches in the U.S. Congress, presenting evidence of Japanese oppression in Korea and raising the issue of Korean independence. In September 1919, he submitted a report titled "Statement and Brief for the Republic of Korea", written by attorney Dolph, to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, urging the U.S. to uphold the 1882 Korea-U.S. Treaty of Amity and Commerce.
In May 1920, Spencer attended a meeting organized by the Korean Friends Association in Philadelphia, where he publicly criticized Japan’s colonial rule and voiced support for Korea’s independence.
In May 1921, he wrote the foreword to Chung Han-kyung’s (정한경) book 「The Case of Korea」 and sent it, along with a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Charles Evans Hughes, urging greater attention to the Korean issue.
During the Washington Naval Conference in December 1921, Spencer distributed copies of "Korea’s Appeal to the Conference on Limitation of Armament" to the U.S. Senate and later ensured that the appeal was included in the U.S. Congressional Record in February 1922.
In 2015, the South Korean government posthumously awarded Selden Palmer Spencer the Order of Merit for National Foundation (National Medal) in recognition of his contributions to Korea’s independence.