Grand Order of Mugunghwa


The Grand Order of Mugunghwa is the highest order awarded by the government of South Korea. It is awarded to the President of South Korea, and it may be awarded to their spouse, heads or former heads of state of South Korean allies, and their spouses. The order is presented for, "Outstanding meritorious services in the interest of promoting the development and security of the Republic of Korea."
The Grand Order of Mugunghwa takes its name from South Korea's national flower, the rose of Sharon. The rose of Sharon is a cultivar native to the Korean peninsula and has great cultural significance in Korean history.

Appearance

The Grand Order of Mugunghwa consists of "an insignia worn around the neck, a badge affixed to sash worn over the shoulder and a star, with a ribbon and a lapel badge as necessary," according to law. The Grand Order of Mugunghwa may be made of gold, silver, ruby and amethyst. As of 2013, the cost to produce it was approximately 20 million won, or $19,000 USD.

Controversies

The Grand Order of Mugunghwa is traditionally awarded to the incoming President of South Korea shortly after their inauguration. However, Former President Roh Moo-hyun opted to accept the award upon his departure from office in 2008.
After their conviction for treason in 1996, former president Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo were ordered to return the Grand Order of Mugunghwa along with other state decorations. While Chun agreed to return the awards, he and Roh have yet to actually return them.

Recipients

YearNameTitleNationality
1949Syngman RheePresidentSouth Korea
1960Yun PosunPresidentSouth Korea
1963Park Chung-heePresidentSouth Korea
1964Heinrich LübkePresidentWest Germany
1964Wilhelmine LübkeFirst ladyWest Germany
1966Ismail Nasiruddin of TerengganuKingMalaysia
1966Tengku Ampuan Tua Intan ZaharahQueenMalaysia
1966Bhumibol AdulyadejKingThailand
1966SirikitQueenThailand
1966Chiang Kai-shekPresidentChina
1967Yuk Young-sooFirst ladySouth Korea
1968Haile SelassieEmperorEthiopia
1969Nguyễn Văn ThiệuPresidentSouth Vietnam
1969Nguyễn Thị Mai AnhFirst ladySouth Vietnam
1969Hamani DioriPresidentNiger
1969Aissa DioriFirst ladyNiger
1970Fidel Sánchez HernándezPresidentEl Salvador
1970Marie Nade Sánchez HernándezFirst ladyEl Salvador
1975Omar BongoPresidentGabon
1975Josephine BongoFirst ladyGabon
1979Léopold Sédar SenghorPresidentSenegal
1979Colette Hubert SenghorFirst ladySenegal
1979Choi Kyu-hahPresidentSouth Korea
1979Hong GiFirst ladySouth Korea
1980Khalid of Saudi ArabiaKingSaudi Arabia
1980Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-SabahEmirKuwait
1980Chun Doo-hwanPresidentSouth Korea
1980Rhee Soon-jaFirst ladySouth Korea
1981SuhartoPresidentIndonesia
1981Siti HartinahFirst ladyIndonesia
1981Ahmad Shah of PahangKingMalaysia
1981Tengku Ampuan AfzanQueenMalaysia
1981Ferdinand MarcosPresidentPhilippines
1981Imelda MarcosFirst ladyPhilippines
1981Rodrigo Carazo OdioPresidentCosta Rica
1981Estrella Zeledón LizanoFirst ladyCosta Rica
1982Samuel DoePresidentLiberia
1982Mobutu Sese SekoPresidentDemocratic Republic of the Congo
1982Bobi Ladawa MobutuFirst ladyDemocratic Republic of the Congo
1982Abdou DioufPresidentSenegal
1982Kenan EvrenPresidentTurkey
1983Gaafar NimeiryPresidentSudan
1983
Butina Khalil Abbulhashan		First ladySudan
1983Hussein of JordanKingJordan
1983Queen Noor of JordanQueenJordan
1984Hassanal BolkiahSultanBrunei
1984Khalifa bin Hamad Al ThaniEmirQatar
1984Dawda JawaraPresidentGambia
1984Chilele JawaraFirst ladyGambia
1984Maumoon Abdul GayoomPresidentMaldives
1985Muhammad Zia-ul-HaqPresidentPakistan
1985Luis Alberto MongePresidentCosta Rica
1986Elizabeth IIQueenUnited Kingdom
1986Baudouin of BelgiumKingBelgium
1987Ahmed AbdallahPresidentComoros
1988Roh Tae-wooPresidentSouth Korea
1988Kim Ok-sukFirst ladySouth Korea
1988Iskandar of JohorKingMalaysia
1988Tunku Puan ZanariahQueenMalaysia
1989Richard von WeizsäckerPresidentWest Germany
1989François MitterrandPresidentFrance
1989Danielle MitterrandFirst ladyFrance
1990Andrés RodríguezPresidentParaguay
1990Árpád GönczPresidentHungary
1991Azlan Shah of PerakKingMalaysia
1991Raja Permaisuri BainunQueenMalaysia
1991Carlos Salinas de GortariPresidentMexico
1992Jorge Serrano ElíasPresidentGuatemala
1993Kim Young-samPresidentSouth Korea
1993Son Myung-soonFirst ladySouth Korea
1993Fidel RamosPresidentPhilippines
1993Amelita RamosFirst ladyPhilippines
1994Eduardo Frei Ruiz-TaglePresidentChile
1994Lech WałęsaPresidentPoland
1995Islam KarimovPresidentUzbekistan
1995Roman HerzogPresidentGermany
1995Zhelyu ZhelevPresidentBulgaria
1995Nelson MandelaPresidentSouth Africa
1995Carlos MenemPresidentArgentina
1996Álvaro ArzúPresidentGuatemala
1996Fernando Henrique CardosoPresidentBrazil
1996Juan Carlos I of SpainKingSpain
1996Queen Sofía of SpainQueenSpain
1996Tuanku Ja’afarKingMalaysia
1996Leonid KuchmaPresidentUkraine
1998Kim Dae-jungPresidentSouth Korea
1998Lee Hee-hoFirst ladySouth Korea
2000Carlo Azeglio CiampiPresidentItaly
2000Jacques ChiracPresidentFrance
2006Abdelaziz BouteflikaPresidentAlgeria
2007Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-SabahEmirKuwait
2007Hamad bin Khalifa Al ThaniEmirQatar
2008Roh Moo-hyunPresidentSouth Korea
2008Kwon Yang-sookFirst ladySouth Korea
2009Nursultan NazarbayevPresidentKazakhstan
2009Alan GarcíaPresidentPeru
2009Giorgio NapolitanoPresidentItaly
2011Margrethe II of DenmarkQueenDenmark
2012Carl XVI Gustaf of SwedenKingSweden
2012Khalifa bin Zayed Al NahyanPresidentUnited Arab Emirates
2013Lee Myung-bakPresidentSouth Korea
2013Kim Yoon-okFirst ladySouth Korea
2013Park Geun-hyePresidentSouth Korea
2014Susilo Bambang YudhoyonoPresidentIndonesia
2015Ollanta HumalaPresidentPeru
2019Harald VKingNorway