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Seoul: ICRC marks 70th anniversary of Korean War, highlights humanitarian response

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) mission in Seoul launched a campaign to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Korean War (1950-1953) and raise awareness of its presence and humanitarian action amid the violence.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) mission in Seoul launched a campaign to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Korean War (1950-1953) and raise awareness of its presence and humanitarian action amid the violence. As part of the ongoing campaign the ICRC has published photographs and articles in leading media outlets, participated in an international conference and organized a photo exhibition. Hosted at Sooncheon National Memorial Hall, the photo exhibition will be inaugurated in November.

Kick-starting the campaign on 24 June, Yonhap News Agency published a feature with a series of photographs showcasing the ICRC's role and activities in response to the war. These were then published in over 120 online and off-line media outlets, including French, Chinese, Japanese and Spanish media outlets.

Jun-ki Lee, legal adviser of ICRC mission in Seoul, (seated on the far-left side) gave a presentation on the organization’s humanitarian activities during the war at the academic conference “Korean War and Humanity”. Junhong LEE/ICRC

Following this, the ICRC participated in the international conference "Korean War and Humanity", which was co-organized by The Republic of Korea National Red Cross (KNRC) on 19 August.

Head of the ICRC's mission in Seoul Charles Sabga and KNRC's newly-elected president Dr Shin Hee Young gave opening remarks at the event besides the president of the Swedish Red Cross Margareta Wahlström, who delivered a video message. Jun-ki Lee, Legal Adviser of the ICRC mission in Seoul, also gave a presentation on the organization's humanitarian activities during the war.

On 21 August, Korea JoongAng Daily, an English daily by Korea's leading media group in association with The New York Times, also published an article that detailed the ICRC's work and focused on its role in the protection of prisoners of war and civilians.

In what was a first-of-its-kind joint interview, Mr. Sabga and KNRC's director-general of International Relations and Inter-Korean office Juja Kim together shared how the two organizations provided help and on-ground assistance while the war was raging.