Korea Defense Service Medal
| Korea Defense Service Medal | |
|---|---|
| Type | Service medal |
| Awarded for | Service for at least 30 consecutive days or 60 non-consecutive days in support of the defense of South Korea. |
| Presented by | the U.S. Department of Defense and U.S. Department of Homeland Security |
| Eligibility | U.S. military personnel |
| Status | Current |
| Established | December 2002 |
| First award | February 2004 (retroactive to July 28, 1954) |
The ribbon | |
| Precedence | |
| Next (higher) | Global War on Terrorism Service Medal |
| Next (lower) | Armed Forces Service Medal |
The Korea Defense Service Medal (KDSM) is a military service medal of the United States Armed Forces that was first created in 2002 when it was signed into law by President George W. Bush. The bill to create the proposal was introduced and championed by Rep. Elton Gallegly (R-CA) and Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-NM). Several designs for the medal were proposed; the selected design was done by John Sproston.
Those awarded the medal are eligible for membership in the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) as well as the American Legion.