‘Body of Hero of Battle of White Horse’ returns to family

The identity of a Korean War veteran whose body had been buried for 70 years along with that of his comrade in the same trench was confirmed. The MND Agency for KIA Recovery & Identification announced on Wednesday that the body excavated on the site of the Battle of White Horse in Cheorwon, Gangwon Province in July was identified as Second Sergeant Kim Yong-il. The second sergeant is equivalent to today’s sergeant. His body was buried for 70 years along with that of Staff Sergeant Pyeon Gui-man, whose identity was confirmed on November 21. The two bodies were placed next to each other at the time of excavation, and 91 items, including M1 carbine, were found near them.

The body of Second Sergeant Kim was found in complete form, with him placing his arms on his chest and crouching in the trench. A helmet was on his skull, the soles of his combat boots were under his feet, and a rubber ring ad found around his shinbone. The MND Agency for KIA Recovery & Identification discovered an identification tag with his name marked inside one of his arms placed on the chest and compared his gene with his grandson’s. The body of Staff Sergeant Pyeon was also found with him squatting and tilting forward. Pyeon’s name was found on a fountain pen discovered on the site was a clue to identify him.

Kim and Pyeon participated in the Battle of White Horse, which took place from October 6 to October 15 in 1952, as members of the 30th Regiment of the 9th Armed Forces Division. It was the most fierce battle during the Korean War, with the 9th Division and the Communist Chinese army taking the hill from each other seven times. The 9th Division secured the hill after 12 bouts of attack and defense, but the two soldiers died during the battle.


Kyu-Jin Shin newjin@donga.com