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DPRK Red Cross Society, Sixty Years Old

Korean Central News Agency of DPRK via Korea News Service (KNS)

   Pyongyang, October 18 (KCNA) --The Red Cross Society of the DPRK greets its 60th birthday. President Kim Il Sung, with a deep penetration into public health conditions of the country and the importance of the public health and hygienic affairs, instructed officials that a red cross organization in charge of public health, hygiene and relief should be formed as early as possible along with a public health federation after national liberation, and proclaimed the formation of the Red Cross Society of North Korea on October 18, Juche35 (1946). And after the foundation of the DPRK, he saw to it to rename it as the Red Cross Society of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and clarified its character, mission and basic duty.
    Over the last six decades, the Red Cross Society of the DPRK has made great achievements in expanding its organizations steadily, improving health and welfare of the people, alleviating misfortunes and sufferings of the Korean people caused by the national division, promoting the friendship, solidarity and cooperation with international communities and defending the world peace in accordance with the fundamental principle and ideal of the Red Cross and Red Crescent movement.
    It has developed into a mass organization with a well-arranged organizational system down to every province, city, county (ri) and industrial establishment, and a million and hundreds of thousands of membership. Since its foundation, the society with a lot of curative institutions and health and cultural facilities under it has conducted brisk hygienic propaganda activities among the people to prevent infectious diseases and anti-epidemic work, thus making a great contribution to the work for improving the urgent public health service of the country and promoting health and welfare of the people.
    During the Fatherland Liberation War (1950.6-1953.7), the society carried out with credit the cure of wounded soldiers and patients, the relief activities of war displaced persons and prevention and treatment activities to cope with the bacteriological warfare of the U.S. imperialist invaders. In the post-war period, it fulfilled its duty and mission satisfactorily in various humanitarian activities such as healing war wounds and rendering first-aid service to people.
    It realized the repatriation of Koreans, who were forcibly taken to Japan before the liberation, on more than 100 batches from 1959 and sent relief goods to the flood victims in south Korea in 1984.
    In particular, it has conducted activities to realize the spirit of the historic June 15 North-South Joint Declaration made public in the year of 2000 and creditably solved humanitarian issues on the principle of impartiality. As a result, 63 unconverted long-term prisoners returned to the DPRK in September 2000 and arranged reunion of families and relatives separated into the north and the south on over 10 occasions.
    The Red Cross Society of the DPRK has also made every effort to develop friendly and cooperative relations with international and national Red Cross organizations and help towards the world peace.