147 Korean War Remains... Escorted by F-15K, Returning to Homeland

On the 18th, at the Joint Enshrinement Ceremony for the Remains of the Fallen Soldiers of the Korean War held at the Memorial Hall of the National Seoul National Cemetery in Dongjak-gu, Seoul, the honor guard is escorting the spirits of the fallen soldiers. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Yang Nak-gyu]147 remains of South Korean soldiers who died in the Korean War, excavated in North Korea and transferred to Hawaii, USA, will return to their homeland after 70 years.

On the 24th, the Ministry of National Defense announced that to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Korean War, it will repatriate 147 remains of "Korean War heroes" held by the U.S. Department of Defense's Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) using the Air Force aerial refueling aircraft Cygnus (KC-330).

The 147 remains, confirmed as South Korean soldiers among those excavated in North Korea and stored at the DPAA in Hawaii, are scheduled to arrive at Seoul Airport around 4:50 p.m. on the same day.

The remains (208 boxes) excavated from 1990 to 1994 in areas including Kaechon, South Pyongan Province; Unsan, North Pyongan Province; and the vicinity of the Chosin Reservoir in South Hamgyong Province, as well as remains (55 boxes) sent to the U.S. in 2018 after the first North Korea-U.S. summit, were jointly examined twice by South Korea and the U.S., resulting in 147 remains being identified as South Korean soldiers.

The Ministry of National Defense plans to verify identities through battle records and casualty lists of the U.S. 7th, 2nd, and 25th Divisions, which fought in the excavation areas. Since many South Korean soldiers were attached to U.S. forces during the Korean War, U.S. military records are being analyzed.

Previously, 92 remains of South Korean soldiers were repatriated in three rounds through joint South Korea-U.S. examinations: 12 in 2012, 15 in 2016, and 65 in 2018. With the repatriation of 147 remains this time, a total of 239 remains will have returned to the homeland.

For this repatriation, on the 21st of this month, Park Jae-min, Vice Minister of National Defense (head of the repatriation remains reception team), and 48 related personnel flew to Hawaii aboard the aerial refueling aircraft Cygnus. The reception ceremony, held at 5 a.m. (Korean time) at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam (JBPHH) in Hawaii, will be attended by Vice Minister Park, the head of the Ministry of National Defense's remains excavation and identification team, the director of the 70th Anniversary Korean War Project Group, and the Consul General of Hawaii. On the U.S. side, attendees include Admiral Philip Davidson, Commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, the DPAA Deputy Director, local veterans, and the Chief of Staff of the United Nations Command. The ceremony will proceed with memorial speeches by Vice Minister Park and Admiral Davidson, signing of the handover documents, and the transfer of remains.

The Chief of Staff of the United Nations Command will replace one set of remains draped with the U.S. flag with the UN flag, after which Vice Minister Park will re-drape it with the South Korean flag before handing the remains to the head of the remains excavation and identification team, completing the transfer.

Once the reception ceremony concludes, the remains will be placed aboard the Cygnus aerial refueling aircraft. The Ministry of National Defense explained, "The remains of the fallen South Korean soldiers will be placed in passenger seats rather than the cargo hold of the aerial refueling aircraft to honor the returning heroes."

After taking off from Hawaii, the Cygnus is expected to enter the Korean Air Defense Identification Zone (KADIZ) around 4 p.m. and will be escorted by six Air Force fighter jets.

The escort fighters belong to the 101st, 102nd, and 103rd Fighter Squadrons, descendants of units that participated in the Korean War, consisting of two F-5s, two F-15Ks, and two FA-50s.

Captain Kang Byung-jun, an F-15K pilot, is the grandson of the late Reserve Brigadier General Kang Ho-ryun, a Korean War veteran pilot.

Vice Minister Park said, "The repatriation of remains at the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War will serve as an opportunity to further strengthen the South Korea-U.S. alliance. It is the fruit of joint efforts between South Korea and the U.S. to fulfill the noble mission of the nation taking full responsibility for those who sacrificed for the country."