Remains of Korean War Soldiers Excavated in 2009 Identified After 12 Years

161st Identification of the Late Private Son Jungcheol

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] The Ministry of National Defense's Remains Excavation and Identification Team (Guk-yu-dan) announced on the 18th that it has identified the identity of the remains of a Korean War casualty excavated in 2009 around Jidong-ri, Pohang, Gyeongbuk, after 12 years.

According to Guk-yu-dan, the 161st identified individual is the late Private Son Jung-chul.

The deceased was a member of the Republic of Korea Army's 8th Division and participated in the Korean War, dying in the Battle of Bohyeonsan (August 13 to September 4, 1950) fought north of Yeongcheon.

At that time, the 8th Division conducted defensive operations around Bohyeonsan, Gomosan, Suseokbong, and Bonghwabong to hold back North Korean forces but was forced to retreat to Yeongcheon under pressure.

The remains, along with seven personal items including combat boots, were recovered in a complete state on June 16, 2009, 59 years after the battle.

It took an additional 12 years to confirm the identity. Son Tae-gyu (73), the son of the deceased, participated in sample collection after seeing a promotional message on TV in 2019, and the familial relationship was finally confirmed through genetic comparison analysis between the two.

Son expressed his feelings, saying, "Through the sample collection of war casualties' families, I doubted whether I could find my father, but now that I have truly met him, I can only shed tears of joy."