Ministry of National Defense Republic of Korea

Government held repatriation ceremony for the remains of Chinese troops, including 103 sets of remains excavated at Arrowhead Ridge, at Incheon International Airport

The Republic of Korea (ROK) government has sent the remains of Chinese troops killed in the Korean War back home. On September 27, the government held the 7th repatriation ceremony for the remains of Chinese troops at Incheon International Airport, with the participation of some Chinese government officials. The repatriation ceremony for the remains of Chinese troops is typically hosted by the Vice Minister of National Defense, but for personal reasons, this ceremony was hosted by Choi Jong-geon, first deputy director of the Foreign Ministry.

The remains repatriated on Sunday were 117 sets of remains of Chinese troops found by our military last year. Specifically, they included 103 sets of remains excavated at Arrowhead Ridge within the demilitarized zone (DMZ) in Cheolwon county, Gangwon Province.

Working in a spirit of friendly cooperation based on international law and humanitarianism, ROK and China agreed to work for the repatriation of the remains of Chinese troops in January 2014. Previously, a total of 599 sets of remains of Chinese troops had been repatriated. With the addition of the 117 sets of remains repatriated on Sunday, a total of 716 sets of remains have now been returned to China.

“I expect that the ROK-China relationship will be further developed through the repatriation of remains. I ask for China’s support and cooperation in future achievements in implementing the peace process on the Korean Peninsula,” Choi said.

Reported by Maeng Su-yeol <guns13@dema.mil.kr>

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