Red Cross

Red Cross (적십자사/赤十字社) means the International Red Cross Movement which is an international humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million volunteers, members and staff worldwide.

While it is called the Red Crescent Society (적신월사/赤新月社) in the Islamic states, it was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure respect for all human beings, and to prevent and alleviate human suffering.

International Red Cross Movement
The movement consists of several distinct organizations that are legally independent from each other, but are united within the movement through common basic principles, objectives, symbols, statutes and governing organisations. The movement's parts are:
 * The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC, 국제적십자위원회) is a private humanitarian institution founded in 1863 in Geneva, Switzerland, by Henry Dunant and Gustave Moynier. Its 25-member committee has a unique authority under international humanitarian law to protect the life and dignity of the victims of international and internal armed conflicts. The ICRC was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on three occasions (in 1917, 1944 and 1963).
 * The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC, 국제적십자사연맹) was founded in 1919 and today it coordinates activities between the 188 National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies within the Movement. On an international level, the Federation leads and organizes, in close cooperation with the National Societies, relief assistance missions responding to large-scale emergencies. The International Federation Secretariat is based in Geneva, Switzerland. In 1963, the Federation (then known as the League of Red Cross Societies) was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize jointly with the ICRC.
 * National Red Cross (국내 적십자사) and Red Crescent Societies exist in nearly every country in the world. Currently 188 National Societies are recognized by the ICRC and admitted as full members of the Federation. Each entity works in its home country according to the principles of international humanitarian law and the statutes of the international Movement. Depending on their specific circumstances and capacities, National Societies can take on additional humanitarian tasks that are not directly defined by international humanitarian law or the mandates of the international Movement. In many countries, they are tightly linked to the respective national health care system by providing emergency medical services.

History
Until the middle of the 19th century, there were no organized or well-established army nursing systems for casualties and no safe and protected institutions to accommodate and treat those who were wounded on the battlefield. In June 1859, the Swiss businessman and Christian Jean-Henri Dunant traveled to Italy to meet French emperor Napoléon III with the intention of discussing difficulties in conducting business in Algeria, at that time occupied by France.

While travelling to the designated place to meet the French Emperor in Italy, he encountered a battle nearby and so many wounded and dying soldiers left in the field. He completely abandoned the original intent of his trip and for several days he devoted himself to helping with the treatment and care for the wounded. He succeeded in organizing an overwhelming level of relief assistance by motivating the local villagers to aid without discrimination.

Back in his home in Geneva, he decided to write a book entitled A Memory of Solferino which he published with his own money in 1862. He sent copies of the book to leading political and military figures throughout Europe. In addition to penning a vivid description of his experiences in Solferino in 1859, he explicitly advocated the formation of national voluntary relief organizations to help nurse wounded soldiers in the case of war. In addition, he called for the development of international treaties to guarantee the protection of neutral medics and field hospitals for soldiers wounded on the battlefield.

In 1863, Gustave Moynier, a Geneva lawyer and president of the Geneva Society for Public Welfare, received a copy of Dunant's book and introduced it for discussion at a meeting of that society. As a result of this initial discussion the society established an investigatory commission to examine the feasibility of Dunant's suggestions and eventually to organize an international conference about their possible implementation.

In October 1863, the international conference organized by the committee was held in Geneva to develop possible measures to improve medical services on the battlefield. The conference was attended by 36 individuals: eighteen official delegates from national governments, six delegates from other non-governmental organizations, seven non-official foreign delegates, and the five members of the International Committee.

In Korea
On January 8, 1903, Korea acceeded to the Geneva Convention. On October 27, 1905, King Gojong ordered the Korean Red Cross Rule (대한적십자사 규칙), and accordingly the Korean Red Cross was founded. In 1949, the Act to Organize the Korean Red Cross (대한적십자사 조직법) was enacted right after the the Korean government started its functions.

In November 2013, Korean Red Cross and the Korean Society of the International Law held the International Humanitarian Law Seminar to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the creation of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement in Seoul.

Basic principles and legal status of the Movement
The 1965 International Conference in Vienna adopted seven basic principles which should be shared by all parts of the Movement, and they were added to the official statutes of the Movement in 1986.
 * Humanity (인도)
 * Impartiality (공평)
 * Neutrality (중립)
 * Independence (독립)
 * Voluntary Service (자발적 봉사)
 * Unity (단일)
 * Universality (보편)

Legal status
The ICRC (국제적십자위원회) is headquartered in the Swiss city of Geneva and has external offices in about 80 countries.

Contrary to popular belief, the ICRC is not a non-governmental organization in the most common sense of the term, nor is it an international organization. As it limits its members (a process called cooptation) to Swiss nationals only, it does not have a policy of open and unrestricted membership for individuals like other legally defined NGOs. The ICRC has special privileges and legal immunities in many countries, based on national law in these countries or through agreements between the Committee and respective national governments.

Humanitarian activities
One noble idea born by the battlefield of Solferino created an international public law called the Geneva Conventions. Based on the Conventions, the International Movement of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies continues its humaniarian activities in many countries where armed conflicts take place.

By understanding in depth, the current activities organized by the Movement can provide a snapshot of the today's picture of the humanitarian endeavour in the fileds of armed conflicts.

In addition, the characteristics of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies diffentiate from the NOGs' due to the legal basis. It's unique characteristics show how it finds a way to relieve the suffering of the people who need to be protected by the Geneva Conventions to 1949 in relation to the international politics.

In Korea
The Korean Red Cross (KRC, 대한적십자사) has involved in a variety of humanitarian activities including relief activities, social voluntary services, blood donation, etc. in and out of Korea.

Among others, the family reuion separated between the demilitarized line has been organized and supported by the Red Cross organizations of two Koreas.