The Order of Merit for National Foundation () is one of South Korea's orders of merit. It is awarded by the President of South Korea for "outstanding meritorious services in the interest of founding or laying a foundation for the Republic of Korea." The Order was originally established under a slightly different name ê±´êµÂê³µë¡ÂÃÂÂìÂÂ¥ (建åÂÂÃ¥ÂÂÃ¥ÂÂå³章) by Presidential Decree #82, on Apr. 27, 1949, and is the oldest Order of the Republic of Korea. On January 16, 1967, there were major changes made to the Order of National Foundation under Presidential Decree #2929. The name of the Order was shortened from ê±´êµÂê³µë¡ÂÃÂÂìÂÂ¥ (建åÂÂÃ¥ÂÂÃ¥ÂÂå³章) to ê±´êµÂÃÂÂìÂÂ¥ (建åÂÂå³章), and all three classes got new names and designs.
The Order of Merit for National Foundation is awarded in five grades.
By 2005 about 8,000 people had received the Order. Many of its recipients have only been awarded the Order posthumously, often because they died before it was established; these include Kim Ku, An Jung-geun, and Cho Man-sik.
Presidents of the Republic of Korea receive the order upon taking office. At the moment, there are 8 known presidents who have received this order.
Recipients:
Presidents of the Republic of Korea:
1. Yoon Seok Yeol (May 10, 2022)
2. Lee Jae Myung (June 4, 2025)
3. Moon Jae In (May 10, 2017)
4. Chun Doo-hwan (September 1, 1980)
5. Park Chung Hee (December 17, 1963)
6. Syngman Rhee (July 24, 1948)
7. Choi Kyu-hah (December 6, 1979)
8. Kim Young-sam (February 25, 1993)
Foreign leaders