Lost soldiers of Korean War set to return home
Print Edition
CHINA and South Korea yesterday began the process of returning home the remains of 437 Chinese soldiers killed in the Korean War.
The bones of the soldiers along with some of their clothes, helmets, bottles and other belongings were covered with traditional Korean paper and placed in coffins supplied by Chinese government. A total of 55 sets of remains had identification records.
Chinese and South Korean officials presented flowers to commemorate the dead.
“We want to express our deep gratitude to the South Korean government and all the people who have contributed to the return of the remains of the Chinese soldiers,” said Li Guiguang, an official from China’s Ministry of Civil Affairs.
The event was significant in the development of China-ROK relations, he said.
The excavation in the South Korean border city of Paju began in December. Over the past three months the remains were cleaned, dried and identified.
About 14,000 South Korean soldiers, experts and technicians were involved in the excavation and identification procedures, Seoul’s defense ministry said.
“The return of the Chinese soldiers’ remains was a milestone in healing the wounds of war both countries suffered,” said Moon Sang Gyun, a ministry official.
South Korea has made great effort on this issue as it was our promise to the Chinese side, he said.
Seoul and Beijing reached an agreement last year, under which Seoul promised to return the remains of Chinese soldiers buried in a cemetery in Paju. The move came after South Korean President Park Geun-hye’s visit to China in June last year.
The coffins will be transported to China by air after a transfer ceremony at South Korea’s Incheon Airport toward the end of the month, and several days before the tomb-sweeping day, according to the South Korean defense ministry.
The Chinese People’s Volunteers (CPV) fought side by side with the people’s army of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in the 1950-53 Korean War against South Korean army and US-led UN forces.
Tens of thousands of CPV soldiers died on the Korean Peninsula during the war that ended in armistice.
Since 1981, the remains of 43 Chinese soldiers have been returned by South Korea via the UN Military Armistice Commission.
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