Introduction
This topic covers qualifying service and operational service for the Korean hostilities, as well as, service in the Demilitarised Zone after the ending of the Australian commitment.
Qualifying service
To have qualifying service for a service pension an Australian veteran of the Korean war must have:
- been allotted for duty in the operational area either individually or as a member of a unit, and
- served in the operational area to which the person was allotted.
Operational service
To have operational service, for Disability Compensation Payment, an Australian veteran of the Korean war must have:
- been allotted for duty in an operational area either individually or as a member of a unit, and
- served in the operational area to which the person was allotted, or
- between 28 April 1952 and 19 April 1956 (both dates included) served in Japan although their unit was allotted for duty in connection with the Korean Conflict.
Operational service in the demilitarised zone
Defence force personnel continued to serve in Korea after 19 April 1956. Personnel were employed in a non-operational role as it was considered service had returned to normal peacetime conditions.
The exception to this was service as military observers in the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ). Such service in the DMZ is classified as Operational Service but not Qualifying Service.