Nations Service Medal, or the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal if they served during that conflict. Foreign acceptance Australia On April 6, 2017, the Korean War Service Medal was authorized for acceptance and approved for wear, by the Governor-General of Australia. This approval came after the efforts of the Australian Council of Korea Veterans Associations to get the South Korean government to extend a new offer for the government of Australia to accept. Veterans who meet the eligibility criteria may obtain the medals from private medal dealers. New Zealand On April 23, 2001, the Korean War Service Medal was authorized for distribution and wear by service members of the British Commonwealth forces including the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF). United States While a number of countries accepted the medal, at the time of the Korean War Service Medal's presentation to UN troops the United States of America declined to award the medal to US soldiers. This was based on regulations of the time which curtailed the acceptance and wear of foreign decorations on US military uniforms; the US Congress changed the law on May 8, 1954. Although subsequently some veterans attempted to have the award accepted, the Korean War Service Medal faded into history after the war and was not heard of again until 1996. At that time the Army noted that it could find no record that the South Korean government ever offered the medal to the Department of Defense. This was technically true since the original offer was made to the United Nations Command. The Army took the position that unless the South Korean government resurrected their original offer, it was "not in a position to officially recognize or approve acceptance of the medal." Although some photographs show the Korean War Service Medal displayed with a Taeguk on the suspension ribbon of the medal, this is not authorized and indicates that it is a photo of a reproduction medal. On August 20, 1999, Francis M. Rush Jr., Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army authorized the Korean War Service Medal for distribution and wear by service members of the United States military. The task of issuing the medal was assigned to Randolph Air Force Base while the National Personnel Records Center was responsible for providing documentation to verify eligibility and updating military records to show receipt of the award. On May 13, 2000, the South Korean government announced