10 USC § 9286 - Korea Defense Service Medal

---
identifier: "/us/usc/t10/s9286"
source: "usc"
legal_status: "official_legal_evidence"
title: "10 USC § 9286 - Korea Defense Service Medal"
title_number: 10
title_name: "ARMED FORCES"
section_number: "9286"
section_name: "Korea Defense Service Medal"
chapter_number: 937
chapter_name: "DECORATIONS AND AWARDS"
part_number: "II"
part_name: "PERSONNEL"
positive_law: true
currency: "119-84"
last_updated: "2026-04-17"
format_version: "1.1.0"
generator: "[email protected]"
source_credit: "(Added Pub. L. 107–314, div. A, title V, § 543(d)(1), Dec. 2, 2002, 116 Stat. 2550, § 8755; renumbered § 8756, Pub. L. 108–375, div. A, title X, § 1084(d)(33), Oct. 28, 2004, 118 Stat. 2063; renumbered § 9286, Pub. L. 115–232, div. A, title VIII, § 806(b)(11), Aug. 13, 2018, 132 Stat. 1833; amended Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title IX, § 923(c)(12)(A)(vi), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 3811.)"
---


# § 9286. Korea Defense Service Medal

**(a)** The Secretary of the Air Force shall issue a campaign medal, to be known as the Korea Defense Service Medal, to each person who while a member of the Air Force or the Space Force 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 Air Force 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(d)(1), Dec. 2, 2002, 116 Stat. 2550, § 8755; renumbered § 8756, Pub. L. 108–375, div. A, title X, § 1084(d)(33), Oct. 28, 2004, 118 Stat. 2063; renumbered § 9286, Pub. L. 115–232, div. A, title VIII, § 806(b)(11), Aug. 13, 2018, 132 Stat. 1833; amended Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title IX, § 923(c)(12)(A)(vi), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 3811.)

## 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 9301 to 9306 were renumbered sections 9401 to 9406 of this title, respectively.

### Amendments

2021—Subsec. (a).  inserted “or the Space Force” after “member of the Air Force”.

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 .