"I think it is fortunate that we can find my father's remains even at this time."
On the 1st, the National Police Agency announced that a burial ceremony was held at the National Seoul Memorial Cemetery for a police officer who was identified through the Korean War (6·25) war dead excavation project.
The ceremony was attended by about 100 people, including bereaved families, Police Commissioner Jo Ji-ho, Chief of the Northern Gyeonggi Police Agency, Director of the National Seoul Memorial Cemetery, and the head of the Ministry of National Defense's War Dead Excavation and Identification Team. The remains excavated around Yuhaksan Mountain in Chilgok, Gyeongbuk, through the Ministry of National Defense's war dead excavation project in 2000, were confirmed as the late Sergeant Im Jin-won through DNA sample comparison and analysis. The late Sergeant Im was the nephew of independence activist Im Gyu-ui, one of the 48 national representatives of the March 1st Movement, and also the great-uncle of the late Colonel Im Ik-soon, a hero of the Battle of Baengma-goji.
Sergeant Im participated in the Dabudong Battle fought in Chilgok, Gyeongbuk. During the Korean War, the area around Yuhaksan Mountain in Chilgok, Gyeongbuk, was one of the key hills where fierce battles were fought to defend the occupation of Daegu. Through about a month of fighting, they repelled attacks from two divisions and secured the defensive line, preventing the occupation of Daegu and creating an opportunity for a counterattack against North Korea.
The bereaved family said, "We have lived longing for our father, who left no photos behind, all our lives, and we are extremely happy to now be able to bring our father, who was buried in a distant foreign land, to the Seoul Memorial Cemetery." They added, "We hope the government will continue to pay attention to honoring the fallen police officers in the future."
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