A joint enshrinement ceremony was held at the Seoul National Cemetery on the morning of December 12th for remains of heroes who died during the Korean War and whose identities have yet to be confirmed. The ceremony was attended by South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, acting Minister of National Defense Kim Sun-ho, Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs Kang Jung-ae, key figures from the army, navy, air force, marine corps, police, veteran associations, and soldiers involved in the recovery of the remains.
The event included a report on the progress of the excavation project, religious rites, flower offerings and incense ceremonies, memorial speeches, and the procession of the remains. According to the Ministry of National Defense, the remains enshrined that day consist of 220 bodies among the 221 recovered this year. These remains are stored at the Ministry of National Defense Agency for Killed in Action Recovery and Identification (MAKRI).
From March to early December this year, the recovery efforts took place in 35 regions including Cheorwon and Inje in Gangwon Province, and Yeongcheon and Chilgok in North Gyeongsang Province. Among the 221 recovered remains, the identity of one was confirmed as Sgt. Park Gap-seong, who was killed in action at the “Nojeonpyeong Battle.” Sgt. Park will be interred at the Seoul National Cemetery on December 16th.
The excavation project for Korean War remains began in 2000 as a commemorative project for the 50th anniversary of the Korean War. To date, approximately 12,000 sets of remains have been recovered, with 245 identities confirmed and returned to their families. The Ministry of National Defense has designated six “Comrades-in-Arms Burial Sections” in cemeteries nationwide, to honor the brothers who fought and died together.
Efforts to locate surviving family members have been intensively conducted by civil-military cooperation in regions like Busan and Daegu, resulting in the collection of DNA samples from about 10,000 family members this year. Furthermore, the Ministry of National Defense is collaborating with the National Forensic Service on a “Facial Reconstruction Project” to aid identification and is strengthening public promotion campaigns to encourage DNA sample submissions. They stated, “We urgently need to recover the approximately 120,000 Korean War casualties, and acquiring more DNA samples from their families is crucial. We are committed to fulfilling our ‘national infinite responsibility’ mission to return every fallen hero to their homeland and families.”