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

Douglas Story was a special correspondent for The Tribune in London. He supported the Korean independence movement by exposing Emperor Gojong’s secret letter regarding the Eulsa Treaty (1905) in The Tribune.
Around 1905, while staying in Beijing, China, Story took an interest in Korean affairs after witnessing the difficult circumstances faced by Korean diplomats. Following the Russo-Japanese War, he sought to investigate the situation in Korea. Traveling through Shanghai and Yokohama, he arrived in Korea in January 1906. There, he connected with Emperor Gojong through a secret envoy he had previously met in Shanghai.
On January 29, 1906, this envoy (a court eunuch) handed him an imperial letter bearing the royal seal. The letter stated that:
“The Eulsa Treaty had neither the consent nor the signature of the Korean emperor. The emperor opposed the treaty’s provisions and had never approved the appointment of Japan’s Resident-General. Korea was inviting other world powers to jointly protect its diplomatic affairs for a period not exceeding five years.“
Story took immediate action. He made a copy of the letter and entrusted it to a European friend in Seoul before escaping to Zhifu (Chefoo), China. From there, he sent a telegram to London. He then met the British consul in Zhifu, Poerce Essex O'Brien-Buteler, to produce another copy, which was sent to the British minister in Beijing.
His report was published in The Tribune on February 8, 1906, under the headline:
"Korea’s Appeal: The Emperor’s Statement to The Tribune - Japan’s Coercion - Call for International Intervention."
The Japanese Embassy in Britain protested immediately, but The Tribune countered these objections in its February 10 edition. Later that year, beginning in October, Story published a series titled "The Future of the East", culminating on December 1, when he published both the full text and a photograph of Emperor Gojong’s letter, proving that the Eulsa Treaty had been forced upon Korea by Japan.
In 1907, Story compiled these articles into a book titled 「Tomorrow in the East」.
In recognition of his contributions, the South Korean government posthumously awarded him the Order of Merit for National Foundation (National Medal) in 2015.