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Korea to confer highest military honor on late U.S. veteran of Korean War

Published: 23 Jul. 2025, 13:30

U.S. President Joe Biden, right, talks with Victoria Secrest, as he presents the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military decoration, posthumously to her father, Corporal Fred McGee, during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House in Washington on Jan. 3. [AP/YONHAP]

Korea will confer its highest military honor on the late U.S. veteran, Cpl. Fred McGee, in recognition of his valor in the 1950-53 Korean War, the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs said Wednesday.

The ministry plans to award the Taegeuk Order of Military Merit on the occasion of the Korean War UN Forces Participation Day, which falls on July 27, it said.

McGee, who also posthumously received the U.S. Medal of Honor this year, is known for swiftly assuming command of his unit when his squad leader and unit members were injured during a 1952 battle.

His daughter, Victoria Secrest, will visit Korea this week to attend a ceremony marking the anniversary that also coincides with the signing of the armistice that ended the three-year conflict.

Alongside Secrest, 54 other veterans, surviving family members of late veterans and officials from 19 countries will also visit the country to attend the ceremony.

The ministry plans to award the Ambassador for Peace medals to six veterans who served under the UN flag and screen a video that reenacts fallen soldiers using AI technology.

Yonhap