Carl Gershman, the long-time president of the Washington-based National Endowment for Democracy (NED), will receive the Order of Diplomatic Service Merit ‘Heungin Medal’ from the South Korean government at a ceremony in the United States capital tomorrow.
Reporting the news today, a Ministry of Unification official told reporters, “The conferral of this merit medal was decided on December 26th last year, and the ceremony will be held on this day at the Embassy of Korea in Washington in the U.S.”
The official went on, “President Gershman is being awarded this medal in recognition of his services to the development of diplomatic relations between South Korea and the U.S. In addition, North Korean human rights groups recommended him and it can be seen as the government recognizing this and deciding to reward his contribution to efforts to improve North Korean human rights.”
‘Order of Diplomatic Service Merit’ medals are a category conferred on those who work to extend South Korea’s national prestige and promote relations with allied states. The category has five grades, of which the Heungin is the second category and the third medal overall.
The idea of conferring it on President Gershman has actually been under official discussion since last summer following recommendations received from a total of 12 South Korean human rights groups including Citizen’s Alliance for North Korean Human Rights, NKnet and Open Radio for North Korea.
However, the time taken to reach a decision reflects the sensitive nature of North Korean human rights in South Korean society.
Commenting on the decision, the head of Open Radio for North Korea, Ha Tae Kyung said today, “The U.S.’ NED supports most of the North Korean human rights organizations here in South Korea. President Gershman himself also has a great deal of private interest in North Korean human rights improvement.”
