Turkish Korean War soldiers’ remains returned to South Korea

South Korea has received the remains of four Turkish soldiers who died fighting for the country as part of United Nations forces during the Korean War. On Aug. 21, the Ministry of National Defense’s Agency for KIA Recovery and Identification (MAKRI) received the remains from the United Nations Command in a ceremony held outside MAKRI’s identification center.

On Aug. 14, the U.S. Defense Department’s Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) transported the remains by aircraft from Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii to Osan Air Base in Gyeonggi Province. The remains, which had been preserved after detailed examinations, were handed over to the United Nations Command. The UN Command had been temporarily storing them at the U.S. Eighth Army’s mortuary at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi.

The four Turkish remains include three recovered by the U.S. DPAA in North Korean territory between 1996 and 2005. The fourth was identified during the reopening of the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, also known as the Punchbowl, in Hawaii, a project ongoing since 1984. According to Turkish military tradition, “the place where a soldier falls is sacred ground,” and it is considered an honor for soldiers to be buried where they died, even in a foreign country. This is why the remains were first brought to South Korea rather than being immediately repatriated to Turkey.

MAKRI said the remains will undergo final, detailed examinations in South Korea before being interred at the United Nations Memorial Cemetery in Busan or repatriated to Turkey in consultation with the Turkish Embassy in Seoul. The ceremony was attended by Turkish Ambassador to South Korea Salih Murat Tamer and MAKRI Director Lee Geun-won.

“It is our duty to honor and repay the dedication of the United Nations forces who bravely gave their lives defending South Korea more than 70 years ago,” a MAKRI official said. “We will give the Turkish fallen the highest level of respect in their care.”


Sang-Ho Yun ysh1005@donga.com