Historical Timeline—ICRC, Geneva Conventions and the Republic of Korea

Swiss businessman Henry Dunant takes part in rescue operations at the Battle of Solferino in Italy. 

Publication of A Memory of Solferino based on battlefield experiences organizing care for the wounded, which laid foundations for the Red Cross Movement.

Dunant and four men founded what is today the International Committee of the Red Cross(ICRC).

First Geneva Convention adopted

Convention (I) for the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded and Sick in Armed Forces in the Field. Geneva, 12 August 1949

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Uprisings against the Ottoman Empire spread throughout the Balkans, prompting the ICRC to send its first mission to the field.

ICRC receives the first letter from Korea.

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ICRC receives Nobel Peace Prize.

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Accession of the Korean Empire to the Geneva Convention of 1864.

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Korean Red Cross established by Emperor Gojong

The Korean Empire Ordinance 47- Korean Red Cross Regulations was promulgated. However, in 1909, the Korean Red Cross was abolished by Ordinance 67 and forcibly merged with the Japanese Red Cross.

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Second Geneva Convention adopted

Convention (II) for the Amelioration of the Condition of Wounded, Sick and Shipwrecked Members of Armed Forces at Sea

ICRC in action during World War I

During the First World War, the ICRC set up the International Prisoners of War Agency to centralize information about POWs and enable families to send them relief parcels. More than 3,000 people worked for this agency.

Third Geneva Convention adopted

Convention (III) relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War

ICRC in action during World War II

During the Second World War, the ICRC carried out immense humanitarian activities, particularly for POWs. As in the First World War, the ICRC opened a tracing agency to collect individual information on war victims and to help re-establish family ties between people separated by war.

Four Geneva Conventions adopted

Convention (IV) relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War

Republic of Korea National Red Cross (KNRC) officially reorganized after the liberation of Korea.

Outbreak of the Korean War.

Seoul

ICRC offers support to the governments of both the Republic of Korea (ROK) and the Democratic Republic of Korea (DPRK) a day after the outbreak of the Korean War

The day after the outbreak of the Korean War, ICRC President, Paul Ruegger, sent two identical telegrams to the governments of both the ROK and DPRK, offering the services of the ICRC and urging both parties to comply with the humanitarian principles enshrined in the Geneva Conventions. 

The International Committee of Red Cross, founded in 1863, neutral and non-political institution composed exclusively of Swiss citizens and whose humanitarian intermediary is provided for in cases of international or civil war and internal disturbances, wishes to assure you [we are] at your disposal to accomplish [...] traditional tasks in existing situation in Korea […] In our opinion, the fact that Korea is not a party or signatory to these international agreements signed by sixty-one States should not prevent de facto application of humanitarian principles protecting war victims contained in said Conventions.

Telegrams dated 26 June 1950 from the ICRC to the ministers of foreign affairs of the ROK and DPRK, respectively.
ICRC Archives, B G 17 (172) 

In a symbolic gesture, ROK President Syngman Rhee publicly signed Article 3 common to the 1949 Geneva Conventions.

The 1949 Geneva Conventions took effect in October 1950, four months after the Korean War began. Nonetheless, the ICRC encouraged the parties involved to uphold the humanitarian principles contained in the Geneva Conventions, and the ROK government responded. Following the ICRC telegram, the ROK President Syngman Rhee publicly signed Article 3 common to the 1949 Conventions and announced that ROK forces would henceforth comply with the provisions of the 1949 Geneva Prisoner of War Convention. However, as signing a single article of the Geneva Conventions is not feasible, this act should be seen as purely symbolic. The ROK did not become a party to the Geneva Conventions until 1966.

ICRC mission during the Korean War

1. POW “family links” 
   In accordance with the Geneva Convention on the treatment of prisoners of war, the ICRC operated the Central Agency for Prisoners of War, disseminating information on detainees. By September 14 1950, it had received information on approximately 51 North Korean prisoners of war and about 110 UN prisoners of war, which it then conveyed to each side.
2. Treatment of wounded, sick, POW and civilian internees
   ICRC visited and conducted inspections on military hospitals, POW camps and civilian internment camps over 160 timesㅡdelivering relief items and advocating for better treatment of the POWs. ICRC Audiovisual Archives hold photographs and documents on their visits to various camps in Seoul, Incheon, Daegu, Busan, Geoje, Yeongcheon, and Hamhung.
3. Civilian assistance despite limitation 
   All aid to civilians in South Korea during most of the Korean War had to go through the United Nations Civil Assistance Command for Korea (UNCACK). ICRC delivered about 65,000 Swiss francs worth of medical supplies to UNCACK and made sure through visits that these supplies had reached and were being used to treat detainees in prisons. 
   After intense negotiations, ICRC could launch a small relief operation directly to the civilian population in South Korea in 1953. As a result, ICRC delivered about 15,000 Swiss francs worth of medical supplies to civilians and worked with KNRC to deliver about 300 braille watches to visually-impaired.

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KNRC mission during the Korean War

The 18th International Red Cross Conference held in Toronto, Canada

The conference, held during the Korean War, adopted several resolutions on prisoners of war and civilians with the ROK’s representatives attending under the direction of President Syngman Rhee.
 

Operation Little Switch–Repatriation of sick and wounded POWs

The Korean Armistice Agreement signed

KNRC receives accreditation from ICRC.

The Vietnam War and the Genocide in Cambodia

Although after 1980, the ICRC was able to assist refugee populations in South-East Asia, its activities during the Vietnam War were difficult on both sides. In Cambodia, the ICRC was not able to carry out its activities until after the fall of the Khmer Rouge in 1979. 

ICRC President Samuel Gonard visits the ROK 

Accession of the ROK to the four Geneva Conventions of 1949

The ROK could not formally sign the 1949 Geneva Conventions during the Korean War but signed on 16 August 1966, becoming the 116th contracting party to the Geneva Conventions.

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ICRC supports repatriation efforts of passengers of the Korean Air Lines YS-11 hijacking incident

Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions
Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, and relating to the Protection of Victims of International Armed Conflicts (Protocol I), 8 June 1977

Additional Protocol II to the Geneva Conventions
Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, and relating to the Protection of Victims of Non-International Armed Conflicts (Protocol II), 8 June 1977

The Iran-Iraq War and ICRC activities

During the bloody conflict between Iraq and Iran, the ICRC carried out activities on behalf of prisoners of war on both sides.

First reunion of families separated by the Korean War takes place ㅡ13 years after Republic of Korea National Red Cross (KNRC) and DPR Korea Red Cross Society (DPRK RCS) held first talks on separated families in 1972.

The Korean War resulted in approximately 10 million people separated from their families. Starting after 1985, through a total of 21 family reunion events, 7 video reunions and letter exchanges, approximately 8,262 families, comprising 59,563 individuals from both Koreas, were able to confirm the survival of their family members. Many, however, have passed away since then, and according to data from the Ministry of Unification, the current number of surviving separated family members in the ROK is around 38,000 (as of June 2024).

30 Years of Presence in Afghanistan

The ICRC has had a permanent presence in Afghanistan for over three decades. In particular, it has been developing orthopedic activities for victims of mines and unexploded ordnance.

September 11 Attacks

The so-called “war on terror” declared after the attacks that struck New York on 11 September, and the military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, raised a number of new challenges for the ICRC.

ICRC opens mission in the DPRK.

The focus of ICRC activities in the DPRK is physical rehabilitation, health, water supply and sanitation, remnant weapon contamination related to the Korean War, among others.

Additional Protocol III to the Geneva Conventions

Protocol additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, and relating to the Adoption of an Additional Distinctive Emblem (Protocol III), 8 December 2005

The Arab World in Crisis

The events of the so-called "Arab Spring" that swept through several countries in North Africa and the Middle East had huge humanitarian consequences, requiring ICRC’s humanitarian response in many countries.

ICRC President Peter Maurer visits ROK and DPRK

Peter Maurer's visit to Korea facilitated discussions on humanitarian issues on the Korean peninsula and the cooperative relationship between  ICRC and the Korean peninsula.

Establishment of ICRC Mission in ROK

ICRC Mission in the ROK focuses on raising the Korean public’s awareness of global humanitarian crises, promotes the understanding and respect of International Humanitarian Law(IHL) working closely with the government, lawmakers, the military, academia, civil society, and the KNRC, among others.

Responding to Pandemic

As a result of the outbreak of the coronavirus and its global spread, the ICRC provided assistance to fragile health systems, particularly in conflict zones.

The Russia-Ukraine War

The Russia-Ukraine conflict mobilizes the ICRC in all its traditional fields of activity, whether in favor of civilian victims or prisoners of war.

Conflict in Gaza

Since the onset of the ongoing conflict between Gaza and Israel, the ICRC has been relentlessly reminding the parties to the conflict to respect International Humanitarian Law and providing humanitarian services to the affected population. At multiple times, it has acted as a neutral intermediary for the release of the Israeli hostages and palestinian detainees. The ICRC is also running a surgical field hospital and supporting the existing hospitals to treat the wounded and sick.

Geneva Conventions 75th Anniversary

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Commemorating the 75th Anniversary of the Geneva Conventions, various ICRC events are being held across the globe. Many are designed to deliberate on the Geneva Conventions’ relevance to contemporary armed conflicts and humanitarian challenges. Today, the ICRC is the world’s oldest and largest international humanitarian organization still active. About 19,000 ICRC staff members are working in over 100 countries around the world.