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A repatriation ceremony for the remains of Private First Class Yun Kyung-hyeok of the US 1st Cavalry division and an unidentified US soldier

South Korean and US military authorities repatriated the remains of soldiers on both sides who died during the Korean War.

During a “mutual return event” at Seoul National Cemetery’s Hyeonchunggwan Hall on the morning of July 13 organized by the South Korean Ministry of National Defense (MND) remains excavation and identification team for the remains of South Korean and US soldiers killed in the Korean War, the remains of Yun Kyung-hyeok, a private first class with the Korean Augmentation to the United States Army (KATUSA), were returned following their excavation by the US in North Korea.

Yun’s remains were discovered mixed in with those of US troops during a 2001 joint excavation by North Korea and the US in the area of Kaechon, South Pyongan Province. In accordance with his family’s wishes, the remains are to be enshrined at the family gravesite in his home county of Dalseong in Daegu.

both killed during the Korean War

South Korean military authorities also returned the remains of a US soldier unearthed in South Korea by way of the US Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA). The exact identity of the US soldier in question has not been confirmed. The MND’s remains excavation and identification team found the remains during a June 2016 excavation at Hill 1025 in Jamgok, a village in Cheorwon, Gangwon Province. An identification by the team confirmed the remains to belong to an individual of European ancestry, and two joint identification efforts with the US last year established conclusively that the body was that of a US soldier. The remains are to be returned to the US via the Eighth Army’s mortuary.

Since beginning excavations in 2000, MND has made a total of 10 shipments of remains to the US, including 13 US soldiers and three Commonwealth soldiers. The remains of South Korean soldiers found through joint excavation efforts in North Korea were also repatriated to South Korea in two shipments in 2012 (12 sets) and 2016 (15 sets).

The Seoul National Cemetery event was attended by members of Yun’s family, Minister of National Defense Song Young-moo, UN Command Commander Gen. Vincent Brooks, and Pentagon POW and MIA director Kelly McKeague. In a commemorative address, Song said, “Discussions are underway between North Korea and the US toward the repatriation of the remains of US soldiers found in North Korea.”

“I also hope the day will soon come when South and North jointly excavate remains in the DMZ. In preparation for this, South Korea will substantially increase its remains excavation team’s specialized personnel and budget and maintain a permanent posture to send them into the field,” he added.

“This may be an opportunity for us to further solidify the path toward peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula,” he continued.

McKeague said it was an “honor” to receive the remains of the presumed US soldier.

“More importantly, it is an honor to deliver on the US’s behalf the remains of Private First Class Yun Kyung-hyeok, who fought courageously with the US’s 1st Cavalry Division,” he added.

Gen. Brooks declared, “We are gathered here to fulfill our solemn obligation to never forget those who have fallen in battle and those who have been listed as missing in action or prisoners of war.”

“Our solemn obligation to remember is the least of our responsibilities. The greater responsibility is to account for every one of them and return them to their families,” he added.

“Today, after years of procedures to find and identify these two soldiers, we are able to return them to their families.”

By Noh Ji-won, staff reporter

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