7th Chinese Military Remains Handover Ceremony, Vice Minister Choi Jong-geon "Expecting Development in Korea-China Relations"

Repatriation of 117 Excavated Remains
Vice Minister Choi Requests Support and Cooperation for Implementing the Korean Peninsula Peace Process

On the 3rd, the 6th Chinese Military Remains Handover Ceremony was held at the apron of Incheon International Airport. The 10 remains of Chinese soldiers who died in the Korean War being handed over to China this time were excavated from the Demilitarized Zone between March and November of last year. Photo by Airport Photographers Group

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] On the morning of the 27th at 10 a.m., the government held the 7th Chinese Military Remains Handover Ceremony at Incheon International Airport, attended by Choi Jong-geon, First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Chang Zhengguo, Deputy Director of the Chinese Veterans Affairs Office.

Until now, the Chinese military remains repatriation ceremony has conventionally been presided over by the Vice Minister of National Defense, but this year it was led by the First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Korea and China agreed in January 2014, based on humanitarian principles and a spirit of friendly cooperation, to repatriate Chinese military remains, and through a total of six 'Chinese Military Remains Handover Ceremonies,' 599 Chinese military remains have been repatriated.

Through today's handover ceremony, our military repatriated 117 Chinese military remains to China, including 103 remains excavated from Hwaseolmari Ridge in 2019.

In his greeting, Vice Minister Choi Jong-geon expressed hope that Korea-China relations would further develop through the repatriation of remains and requested China's support and cooperation for achieving visible results in the implementation of the Korean Peninsula peace process.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated, "The government plans to continue repatriating Chinese military remains that are excavated in the future and will strive for the future-oriented development of bilateral relations."