Supplying relief: civil medical assistance during the Korean War, 1950–3

This study examines the United Nation (UN)’s efforts to provide emergency relief for civilians during the Korean War, one of the deadliest and most devastating conflicts for civilians since World War II. The UN coordinated civilian relief during and after the war, developing a logistical system, legal framework and payment mechanism through UK banks in pounds sterling, and a distribution strategy based on European experience. United Nations Korean Reconstruction Agency (UNKRA) managed financial and legal issues, determined packing and shipping methods, resolved storage problems and distributed medical supplies in the field, either through United Nations Civil Assistance Corps Korea or UNKRA. The UN’s efforts to provide civilian medical assistance to Korea set an exemplary model for later relief efforts and this study shows how this holistic system was created on the basis of experience gained during World War II and the creation of entirely new mechanisms for purchasing and delivering medical aid.