South Korea posthumously awarded Higgins the Order of Diplomatic Service Merit, Heungin Medal, honoring her Korean War correspondence.
On September 2, 2010, the government of the Republic of Korea posthumously honored Marguerite Higgins with the Order of Diplomatic Service Merit, Heungin Medal, in a ceremony held in Seoul. The award recognized her distinguished and courageous service as one of the most prominent war correspondents to cover the Korean War, more than four decades after her death and sixty years after the conflict itself began.
The honor reflected South Korea's continued gratitude toward foreign journalists, diplomats, and military personnel who contributed to documenting and supporting the nation during the 1950–1953 war, a conflict that shaped the trajectory of the Korean peninsula for generations. Higgins's reporting—including her firsthand coverage of the Incheon landing and other pivotal battles—had brought the reality of the war to American and international audiences at a critical moment, helping sustain public and political support for the UN-backed defense of South Korea.
This posthumous recognition, coming decades after her death, demonstrates the lasting international legacy of Higgins's work. It affirms that her contributions were valued not only within American journalism circles, through the Pulitzer Prize and Polk Award, but also by the nation whose survival and modern development her reporting helped document to the world during one of the most perilous periods of its history.