In November of last year, remains were excavated in Cheorwon, thanks to a ‘dog tag’ allowing for swift identification. A Korean War hero, who sacrificed his life at the age of 22 just before the armistice, returned to his family after 72 years. The Ministry of National Defense Agency for KIA Recovery and Identification (MAKRI) announced on the 13th that they confirmed the identity of the remains discovered in November in Jupari, Wonnam-myeon, Cheorwon County, Gangwon Province, as belonging to the late Sergeant Major Park Seok-ho (current rank: Sergeant). Park is the 15th hero to be identified this year, bringing the total number of soldiers returned to their families to 263 since recovery efforts began in April 2000.
Sergeant Major Park was born in May 1931 in Uiseong County, North Gyeongsang Province, as the fifth of six sons and two daughters. All of his direct family members have passed away, leaving no children, so even his nephew and representative of the bereaved family, Park Yong-chul, does not know much about his early life before enlistment.
He enlisted on September 20, 1951, and after completing training at the Army’s 1st Training Center in Jeju, he was dispatched to the front lines with the 13th Regiment of the 11th Division. He participated in the “Red Hill-Samhyeon District Battle” in July 1953 and was killed in action just 10 days before the armistice was signed, never returning to his hometown.
The identification of Sergeant Major Park was largely due to the dog tag found with his remains. MAKRI traced his home address and found his family through engraved information, including his service number (0642181) and his name (PAK SEOK HO), which were cross-referenced with military records and casualty lists.
A “Return of the Hero” ceremony was held at the request of the family at the home of his nephew, Mr. Park Yong-chul, in Nam-gu, Daegu. Jo Hae-hak, acting director of MAKRI, briefed the family on the fallen soldier’s service and the process of recovery. He also handed over identification notification and items contained in the “Spirit of the Fallen” box.
Mr. Park expressed, “Whenever performing ancestral rites during the holidays, I felt something was unsettling knowing that I had an uncle who died during the Korean War. Now I feel at ease knowing that he can be laid to rest in a national cemetery.”