The Korean Service Medal was an international military decoration established by the United Nations on December 12, 1950. The decoration was the first international award ever created and recognized the multi-national defense forces which participated in the Korean War. The Korean Service Medal was the primary United States medal for participation in the Korean War and was awarded to any U.S. service member, who performed duty in the Republic of Korea, between June 27, 1950 and July 27, 1954. The United States Department of Defense declared thirteen official campaigns of the Korean War, all of which are annotated by service stars on the Korean Service Medal. Some campaigns apply to all branches of the U.S. military, while others are branch specific.