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

Harry Charles Whiting was an American medical missionary of the Northern Presbyterian Church who arrived in Korea in 1903 and provided medical services in Pyongyang, Jaeryeong, and other regions before returning to the United States in September 1919. After his return, he joined the League of the Friends of Korea, delivering lectures and publishing materials to expose Japanese atrocities and support Korean independence.
In November 1903, Whiting arrived in Korea with his wife as a medical missionary for the Northern Presbyterian Church. From 1903 to 1906, he worked at Jejung Hospital in Pyongyang, providing medical services to Koreans. In May 1906, he was transferred to Jaeryeong, where he established and managed Jaeryeong Hospital.
After resigning from his missionary post in October 1918, he returned to the United States in September 1919. Upon his return, he was shocked to see that Americans were unaware of the true situation in Korea, as Japanese propaganda and media distortions had misled the public. Determined to counteract Japanese misinformation, he joined the League of the Friends of Korea and began publishing appeals and notices at his own expense, alongside frequent public lectures to inform Americans about Japanese oppression and Korea’s independence movement.
Between 1919 and November 1920, he conducted over 260 lectures across the United States, including in Los Angeles and Atlanta, detailing Japan’s brutal colonial rule in Korea. In October 1921, he spent a week in Denver delivering speeches, which led to the formation of the Denver chapter of the League of the Friends of Korea.
In recognition of his contributions to Korea’s independence movement, the South Korean government posthumously awarded him the Order of Merit for National Foundation (National Medal) in 2015.