# § 7286. Korea Defense Service Medal
**(a)** The Secretary of the Army shall issue a campaign medal, to be known as the Korea Defense Service Medal, to each person who while a member of the Army served in the Republic of Korea or the waters adjacent thereto during the KDSM eligibility period and met the service requirements for the award of that medal prescribed under subsection (c).
**(b)** In this section, the term “KDSM eligibility period” means the period beginning on July 28, 1954, and ending on such date after the date of the enactment of this section as may be determined by the Secretary of Defense to be appropriate for terminating eligibility for the Korea Defense Service Medal.
**(c)** The Secretary of the Army shall prescribe service requirements for eligibility for the Korea Defense Service Medal. Those requirements shall not be more stringent than the service requirements for award of the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal for instances in which the award of that medal is authorized.
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**Source Credit**: (Added Pub. L. 107–314, div. A, title V, § 543(b)(1), Dec. 2, 2002, 116 Stat. 2549, § 3755; renumbered § 3756, Pub. L. 108–375, div. A, title X, § 1084(d)(28), Oct. 28, 2004, 118 Stat. 2063; renumbered § 7286, Pub. L. 115–232, div. A, title VIII, § 808(b)(11), Aug. 13, 2018, 132 Stat. 1838.)
## Editorial Notes
### References in Text
The date of the enactment of this section, referred to in subsec. (b), is the date of enactment of , which was approved .
### Prior Provisions
Prior sections 7291 to 7294 were renumbered sections 8661 to 8664 of this title, respectively.
A prior section 7295, , , listed types of vessels considered underage for specified periods after completion, prior to repeal by , , .
A prior section 7296, added , , ; amended , , , required notice before reduction in number of combatant surface vessels, prior to repeal by , , .
Another prior section 7296, , , related to availability for other purposes of appropriations for construction or conversion of vessels, prior to repeal by , , .
A prior section 7297 was renumbered .
A prior section 7298, , , related to conversion of combatant and auxiliary naval vessels, prior to repeal by , , .
A prior section 7299 was renumbered .
Another prior section 7299, acts , ; , , ; , , ; , , , directed that each contract for construction, alteration, furnishing, or equipping of naval vessel was subject to the Walsh-Healey Act, unless President determined that such requirement was not in interest of national defense, prior to repeal by , , .
A prior section 7299a was renumbered .
A prior section 7300 was renumbered .
Another prior section 7300, , 70A, Stat. 450, related to profit limitations on contracts for construction of naval vessels, prior to repeal by , , .
A prior section 7301 was renumbered .
Another prior section 7301, , , related to estimates required for bids on construction of naval vessels, prior to repeal by , , .
A prior section 7302, , , directed Department of the Navy to construct on U.S. Pacific Coast such vessels as President determined necessary to maintain shipyard facilities there adequate to meet requirements of national defense, prior to repeal by , , .
A prior section 7303 was renumbered .
A prior section 7304 was renumbered .
Another prior section 7304, , , related to examination of vessels by board and striking of unfit vessels from Naval Vessel Register, prior to repeal by , , .
A prior section 7305 was renumbered .
Another prior section 7305, acts , ; , , , related to sale of vessels stricken from Naval Vessel Register, prior to repeal by , , .
A prior section 7305a was renumbered .
A prior section 7306 was renumbered .
Another prior section 7306, acts , ; , , ; , , ; , , , related to use of vessels stricken from the Naval Vessel Register for experimental purposes, prior to repeal by , , . See .
Prior sections 7306a and 7306b were renumbered sections 8676a and 8676b of this title, respectively.
A prior section 7307 was renumbered .
Another prior section 7307, acts , ; , , ; , , ; , , ; , , ; , , , related to restrictions on disposal of certain Navy ships, prior to repeal by , , .
A prior section 7308 was renumbered .
Another prior section 7308, acts , ; , , ; , , ; , , , related to transfer or gift of obsolete, condemned, and captured vessels, prior to repeal by , , .
A prior section 7309 was renumbered .
Another prior section 7309, added , , ; amended [title VIII, § 8095], , , 1941; , , ; , , ; , (b)(1), , ; , , ; , , ; , , , related to restrictions on construction and repair of vessels in foreign shipyards, prior to repeal by , , .
A prior section 7310 was renumbered .
Another prior section 7310, added , , , related to policy for constructing combatant vessels, prior to repeal by , , .
### Amendments
2018— renumbered as this section.
2004— renumbered as this section.
## Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
### Effective Date of 2018 Amendment
Amendment by effective , with provision for the coordination of amendments and special rule for certain redesignations, see , set out as a note preceding .
### Findings
> **“(1)** More than 40,000 members of the United States Armed Forces have served in the Republic of Korea or the waters adjacent thereto each year since the signing of the cease-fire agreement in July 1953 ending the Korean War.
>
> **“(2)** An estimated 1,200 members of the United States Armed Forces have died as a direct result of their service in Korea since the cease-fire agreement in July 1953.”
, , , provided that:
### Award for Service Before Date of Enactment
> “The Secretary of the military department concerned shall take appropriate steps to provide in a timely manner for the issuance of the Korea Defense Service Medal, upon application therefor, to persons whose eligibility for that medal is by reason of service in the Republic of Korea or the waters adjacent thereto before the date of the enactment of this Act [
>
> ].”
, , , provided that: