Ministry of National Defense Republic of Korea

Park Min-ho, chief of the multilateral security policy section of the Ministry of National Defense, receives prize for his contributions to positive administration;

Korea's reputation enhanced through success of operation

Park Min-ho, chief of the multilateral security policy section of the Ministry of National Defense, was awarded the Green Stripes Order of Service Merit for his contributions to ‘Operation Miracle,’ a mission to evacuate Afghanistan (Afghan) special contributors to Korea. Park received high praise for the fact that he had put positive administration into action through communication and cooperation with relevant ministries, maintaining a creative and committed approach throughout the operation.

Park received the Green Stripes Order of Service Merit at the 2nd government awards to acknowledge positive administration, presided over by Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum on April 5. The government awards to acknowledge positive administration are presided over by the Ministry of Public Administration and Security and the Ministry of Personnel Management, and aim to select and reward public officials who have put the goal of people-centered administration into action by carrying out creative and positive work that departs from conventional practices.

Award recipients are given promotions or incentives corresponding to their performance. This year there were a total of 30 award recipients, including four for the Order of Merit, six for the Merit medal, eight for a Presidential citation, and twelve for a Prime Minister's citation.

Park took on the role of chief of situation response section of the ministry during the operation to evacuate the Afghan special contributors to Korea, and cooperated closely with the relevant ministries, including the Office for Government Policy Coordination, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Justice. He raised Korea's prestige by providing support for a prompt policy decision, acting with dedication in an emergency situation.

Significantly, he was committed to his support duty so that Minister Suh Wook and Vice Minister Part Jae-min could make the best decision at the National Security Council (NSC), held ten times due to the worsening Afghan situation.

During Operation Miracle, Park contributed to the success of the operation by preparing day and night situation reports on a daily basis, based on the local situation and the operational situation. After the operation was complete, he helped the special contributors to settle stably in Korea by working in cooperation with the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Personnel Management, as well as supporting military transport buses, and military personnel, including army doctors and nurse officers.

In addition, Park took the lead in maximizing the outcomes of Operation Miracle through active publicity. Park contributed an article titled ‘The significance of Operation Miracle, which our military has successfully accomplished’ to Korea Defense Policy Forum (ROK Angle No. 239) published by the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses (KIDA). Most of all, he helped promote an international understanding of Operation Miracle by forwarding information on the mission to key personnel outside the country, including high-level policy decision-makers and defense professionals, via an e-policy newsletter, one of the Policy Customer Relationship Management (PCRM) projects.

Park also raised the publicity effect by appearing on a program named ‘A success story on positive administration,’ created by the National Human Resources Development Institute to build consensus on positive administration among public officials, ‘National Defense Focus’ on the Defense Media Agency’s Defense TV, and ‘with the people, with the armed forces’ of the Defense FM.

“I am honored to receive this prize. I will continue to do my best to carry out my duties in creative and positive ways,” Park said.

By Chae-Mu, Im <lims86@dema.mil.kr >

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