In our country, the Korean Minister to France, on instructions from Emperor Kojong, attended the international Red Cross meeting convened in Geneva in 1903, and the Korea Red Cross was established two years later, on October 27, 1905 under Article 47 of Emperor Kojong's ordinance. The Korea Red Cross thus observes its 80th anniversary this year.

Working under the seven basic principles of the Red Cross movement---humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independance, voluntary service, unity, and universality---the Korea Red Cross has been actively engaged in providing relief, blood-taking, social work, and health services, as well as in promoting Junior Red Cross activities and providing international relief and aid services.

In this year of the 80th anniversary, in particular, an exchange of hometown visitors between south and north, a long-cherished desire of the ten million members of families separated by the division of the land, has Red Cross and the North Korea Red Cross involved. Although it was on small scale, the exchange does throw bright prospects for the future of the talks.