President Yoon Awards the Order of Civil Merit to the Late Director Park Byeong-chul, the 'Philippine Schweitzer' and Others

National Recommendation Award Ceremony Held

President Yoon Suk-yeol is taking a commemorative photo with the recipients of the National Medal, Order of Merit, and Presidential Citation at the 13th National Recommendation Awards Ceremony held on the 15th at the Yongsan Presidential Office Building in Seoul.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 15th, President Yoon Suk-yeol held the '13th National Recommendation Awards Ceremony' at the Yongsan Presidential Office and presented the Order of Civil Merit to the recipients.

Started in 2011, the 'National Recommendation Awards' selected awardees from 912 nominations made by the public between July 1, 2022, and June 30, 2023. The selection process included document and on-site investigations, as well as reflecting the results of a nationwide online vote conducted last October, followed by a review by the Government Awards Review Committee.

While government awards are typically recommended by government ministries, the Presidential Office stated that this award holds great significance as it is the only award directly chosen by the public.

At this ceremony, the highest honor of the National Recommendation Awards system, the 'Order of Civil Merit Moran Medal,' was posthumously awarded to the late Director Park Byung-chul, known as the 'Korean Schweitzer of the Philippines,' who devoted over 30 years to medical volunteer work in the Philippines.

The late Kwak Sung-hyun, former Chairman of the Korea Lincoln Association, who donated land worth approximately 10 billion KRW to the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) for the advancement of domestic science, was posthumously awarded the 'Order of Civil Merit Pomegranate Medal.' Father Heo Bo-rok, who has operated a shelter for underprivileged youth for over 28 years, also received the 'Order of Civil Merit Pomegranate Medal.'

President Yoon emphasized in his congratulatory remarks that the 'National Recommendation Awards' are a very special award where the public directly recommends and participates in selecting the recipients, calling it "a more meaningful and honorable award than any other."

He continued, "I always emphasize freedom and solidarity. Freedom means that all of us must be free together, and for those who face difficulties or lack conditions to enjoy freedom, we must share so that everyone can enjoy freedom."

President Yoon promised, "The government is also making great efforts by adopting 'welfare for the vulnerable' as a core principle of state administration. We will take better care of the socially disadvantaged more thoroughly and intensively, and actively improve systems and practices that need to be reformed to enable more sharing."

The President personally presented the awards and expressed his gratitude and congratulations by taking commemorative photos with the recipients.