Korean Red Cross

1. I¡¯m not fluent in Korean, but I want to volunteer for the Korean Red Cross. What should I do?

Please see our ¡°Volunteer¡± page here. for phone numbers of our local chapters and for particular sets of skills for which our society is in great need. We appreciate your interest in volunteering for us and hope you can find an opportunity that suits your preference.

With that said, it is true that for obvious reasons, you may face limited options if your fluency in Korean is below average.

2. Does the Korean Red Cross send volunteers to work overseas? How can I work overseas for the Red Cross?

The Korean Red Cross does not send regular volunteers overseas for a long-term volunteer service. Only specially trained staff are eligible to work in areas of disasters or on long-term development projects.

We do, however, periodically send regular volunteers overseas for a short-term volunteer service lasting no more than a month. If you are interested in this programme, please contact our chapter near you at our ¡°Volunteer¡± page here.

3. I want to be certified for first aid or lifeguarding or mountain safety, but I¡¯m not fluent in Korean. What should I do?

At this moment, we unfortunately do not offer any of these courses in English.

However, in the past, we did have several cases in which we helped the English-speaking applicants take and finish the courses with the help of our bilingual volunteers. We therefore advise that you talk to one of our staff at the health and safety unit to see if the same arrangement can be made for you. Please contact them at (02) 3705-3745~9 or at jjssgi@redcross.or.kr. If you decide to call, you may need someone who is fluent in Korean to help you with the communication.

4. How can I donate to the Korean Red Cross?

Please see our ¡°Donate¡± page here.

5. How do we relate to other Red Cross entities?

Only one Red Cross or Red Crescent society can exist in a sovereign state. Korean Red Cross is therefore the only National Society (NS) operating in Republic of Korea.

We are, however, a member of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement (Movement, for short)¡ªthis includes the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and 187 other National Societies (NS).

We are legally independent from the ICRC, IFRC and other NS but are united within the Movement through common fundamental principles, objectives, emblems, statutes and governing organs.

6. How do we relate to the government?

One of the seven Fundamental Principles that all National Societies (NS) need to follow is the principle of independence. It states that a NS must maintain its autonomy and remain as a distinct, separate body from the government.

We do, however, work closely with the government as its auxiliary humanitarian partner in disseminating international humanitarian law or supplementing the government¡¯s primary responsibility to address our country¡¯s vulnerabilities.

7. Why is this Web site not up-to-date or slower than its Korean equivalent in updating its content?

We apologize for the inconvenience we caused you with our delay in updating the content.

We are afraid, however, that this is something that you will have to get used to. We learned from our past experience that it was simply too labor-intensive and expensive to try to have our Web site in English mimic everything on our official Web site in Korean. To address this dilemma, we decided to purposefully redesign our English Web site, so that it doesn¡¯t require frequent updating.

We therefore kindly ask for your understanding of our limited circumstance.

8. I¡¯m a member of the U.S. Armed Forces and have a family residing in Republic of Korea (or vice versa). I¡¯m in an emergency situation and need to contact my family (or my family in U.S. Armed Forces) immediately. What should I do?

This particular service is provided by the American Red Cross and its chapters located inside American military installations worldwide (for more information, please visit American Red Cross¡¯ Web page on this service here). Korean Red Cross is not involved in the process at all.

Families of active duty U.S. military personnel can contact the American Red Cross directly to initiate an Emergency Message by calling:
- (877) 272-7337 (toll-free within the continental United States), or
- +1-202-303-5000 outside the United States

When calling the Red Cross, please provide as much of the following information about the service member as is known:
- Full name
- Rank/rating
- Branch of service (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard or DoD Civilian or contractor)
- Social Security account number
- Date of birth
- Military address
- For deployed service members only: Information about the deployed unit and home base unit

9. I heard that Red Cross offers a Restoring Family Links service that allows me to locate missing family members or family members with whom I lost contact. Who should I talk to?

If the family member you are looking for resides in DPRK:
Please visit reunion.unikorea.go.kr or contact our inter-Korean unit at(02)3705-3650~4 or at jjy@redcross.or.kr. If you decide to call, you may need someone who is fluent in Korean to help you with the communication.

If the family member you are looking for does not reside in DPRK:
Please contact our international relations team at (02) 3705-3664 or at rosarossa@redcross.or.kr.

10. In a large-scale disaster, why is cash donation more favored over donations of food, clothing or other supplies?

Over a century of experience has proven that the best way to support a Red Cross disaster response in Republic of Korea or around the world is through a financial donation. This is a belief shared by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and many other National Societies that are highly experienced in disaster response. Cash donation gives us maximum flexibility to obtain exactly what relief materials we need, when and where we need them.