Doctors Without Borders opens branch office in Seoul

Doctors Without Borders, or Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), said Wednesday it has opened a branch office in Seoul to boost its capability to provide aid by maximizing professional staff in the country.

As an independent, nonprofit organization founded in Paris in 1971, the MSF delivers emergency aid primarily to underprivileged people affected by armed conflicts, epidemics and natural disasters.

Based in Geneva, Switzerland, the MSF has 26 branch offices worldwide. Some 3,000 voluntary medical professionals and administrative staff carry out projects in more than 60 countries worldwide, efforts which led to the winning of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1999.

So far, 22 South Korean activists have participated in MSF programs, with three medical and one administrative staff currently on duty.

During a press conference to announce the opening of the Korean branch, the MSF Korea said "a pool of outstanding South Korean professionals" is expected to greatly contribute to the organization's activities, vowing to use the Seoul office as a stepping stone to provide more aid to those in need in the world. (Yonhap)