Enshrinement ceremony held for 370 Korean soldiers killed in Korean War

A joint enshrinement ceremony for 370 Korean soldiers killed during the Korean War was held at the Seoul National Cemetery in Seoul on Monday. The 370 remains were uncovered from battlefields across the country this year. High-ranking officials who attended the ceremony include Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum, Vice Defense Minister Park Jae-min, Veterans Affairs Minister Hwang Ki-chul and National Police Agency Deputy Chief Jin Kyo-hoon. The ceremony included a report on the progress of excavation works, religious rites, flower tributes and incense offering for the dead, and sending off the dead.

The 370 remains were excavated from 41 regions, including Cheorwon, Inje, Paju, and Yeoncheon from March to late November by the excavation team of the Defense Ministry and 31 divisions and brigades of the Army and the Marine Corps. Among them, 64 remains were uncovered in the areas near Arrowhead Ridge and White Horse Hill inside the demilitarized zone (DMZ). After the ceremony, the remains will be transferred to the morgue at the Defense Ministry’s excavation team to verify their identity.

The excavation of Korean soldiers killed in the Korean War began in 2000, marking the 50th anniversary of the Korean War. Including the 370 remains unearthed this year, a total of 12,000 remains have been excavated from battlefields. Efforts to discover Korean War remains are growing in cooperation with the United Nations Forces. In September, the remains of 68 South Korean soldiers kept by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) under the U.S. Defense Department returned to Korea. South Korea recently signed a memorandum of understanding with Canada and Columbia, respectively, for the discovery of troops went missing during the Korean War.


Sang-Ho Yun ysh1005@donga.com