Scarce official Mapae or ‘Horse badge’ presented to Lieutenant General William P. Yarborough. Brass, 4.25″ x 6.75″, 438 gm, the front features a group of five running horses below a “2,” with the lower plaque engraved: “LTG William P. Yarborough, 21 APR 1971, LTG Chae Myung Shin, CG Second Republic of Korea Army”; the reverse bears raised text and a chop or YìnJian and the bottom is engraved in Korean.
Includes the original presentation case with an information sheet, which reads: “The MAPAE (Horse Badge) had been used as an identification symbol of an AM-HAENG-O-SA, a royal secret inspector of the LEE Dynasty (AD 1392-1910). The MAPAE was originally used as a ticket for government officials to ride a horse, which was one of transportation means in those days. It was a system, found in AD 1500, whereby the king appointed an individual with the recommendation of influential cabinet members to gather information on the disguise, His rank and authority was equivalent to that of a governor today, having judicial power in addition. He also solved individual problems and rewarded loyal people. He was not allowed to return untill his given mission was accomplished. In performing his mission, he could show the MAPAE whenever required, which identified him as the king's special envoy. This system continued till 1892.” In fine condition, with scuffing and wear to both the badge and case. Accompanied by a printed article on the history of ‘The ‘Horse’ Medallion’ by Captain E. R. Luhn, Jr.
During the final years of his career, Yarborough was the Army's top intelligence officer at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. He assumed the command of I Corps in Korea in 1968, a position he held for a year. I Corps consisted of both conventional and nuclear weapons, two American divisions and three Korean Divisions, and a Korean Marine Corps Brigade, numbering approximately 100,000 men. In 1969, he was assigned as the Chief of Staff and Deputy Commander in Chief, U.S. Army Pacific, responsible for directing a wide variety of Army activities in the Pacific Rim, including planning joint training exercises, response to natural disasters, and monitoring intelligence operations. He retired from the Army in 1971.
