Remains of 7 S. Korean troops killed during Korean War handed over to Seoul

▲ A ceremony is under way for the handover of the remains of South Korean troops killed in the 1950-53 Korean War to their home country at Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii on July 25, 2023 in this photo released by the Korea Defense Daily. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

▲ The remains of South Korean troops killed in the 1950-53 Korean War are transported on a KC-330 tanker transport plane bound for South Korea on July 25, 2023, in this photo released by Korea Defense Daily. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

troop remains-repatriation

Remains of 7 S. Korean troops killed during Korean War handed over to Seoul

SEOUL, July 26 (Yonhap) -- South Korea has received the remains of seven soldiers killed in the 1950-53 Korean War from the United States, after they were initially thought to be U.S. war dead and sent to America, Seoul's defense ministry said Wednesday.

A ceremony marking the handover of the remains took place at Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii on Tuesday (local time), with the attendance of senior South Korean and U.S. officials, including Seoul's Vice Defense Minister Shin Beom-chul and U.S. Indo-Pacific Command commander Adm. John C. Aquilino.

The South Korean Air Force's KC-330 tanker transport plane carrying the remains is set to arrive at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, just south of the capital, on Wednesday. It will be escorted by four F-35A stealth jets upon its entry into the country's air defense identification zone, the ministry said.

"The handover and repatriation of the troop remains is the fruit of joint efforts by South Korea and the U.S. to fulfill the noble mission to remember the great heroes, who safeguarded the Republic of Korea's freedom, forever, and take responsibility for them until the end," Shin was quoted as saying.

The latest sets of remains were among those that were sent to the U.S. after excavation work in South and North Korea. They were identified as fallen South Korean soldiers following a joint analysis by the allies.

One set was confirmed to belong to Pfc. Choi Im-rak, who served as part of the Korean Augmentation to the U.S. Army program, better known as KATUSA, during the war. He died during the Battle of Chosin Reservoir in December 1950 at the age of 19.

At the handover ceremony, Choi's remains were delivered to the South Korean side via the U.N. Command. S. Cpo. Cho Ho-jong, a member of Choi's bereaved family, was present to reunite with his late uncle.

Since 2012, South Korea has received the remains of 313 South Korean troops, including the latest sets, on seven occasions from the U.S. Of them, the identities of 19 sets have been confirmed through DNA and other forms of analysis.

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