Private Cho Youngho, Who Fell Nine Days Before the Armistice, Returns to His Daughter After 72 Years

All Brothers Forced into Conscription and the Midst of War

Private Cho Youngho, who died at the age of 24 while defending his country just nine days before the end of the Korean War, has finally been laid to rest in his daughter's arms after 72 years.

The Ministry of National Defense Agency for KIA Recovery and Identification (MAKRI) announced on June 5 that the remains discovered in November last year in the Jupa-ri area of Wonnam-myeon, Cheorwon-gun, Gangwon Province, have been identified as belonging to Private Cho Youngho of the 11th Division of the Republic of Korea Army. He is the third among 19 sets of remains excavated in the Jupa-ri area to be identified.

This identification was made possible thanks to a report from a battalion commander who had participated in the excavation operation, the efforts of MAKRI, and the interest of the bereaved family. In October last year, Lieutenant Colonel Jung Junhyeok, a battalion commander under the 7th Division of the Army, discovered a bulletproof helmet and canteen in the operational area and reported the location of possible remains to MAKRI. MAKRI then dispatched a professional investigation and excavation team, which recovered Private Cho's remains, found in a prone position and intricately entangled with other remains.

Private Cho's identity was confirmed through comparative DNA analysis, using samples provided in 2012 by his daughter, Cho Hanchun (78), and his younger sister, Cho Sunho (85), who personally visited MAKRI. The active participation of the bereaved family was crucial in this process.

Private Cho enlisted in January 1953, leaving behind two daughters aged six and three. He was assigned to the 11th Division and participated in the "Jeokgeunsan-Samhyeon District Battle" in July 1953, where he was killed in fierce highland combat. The day he died, July 18, was just nine days before the signing of the Armistice Agreement on July 27.

Private Cho's second eldest brother, Cho Eulho, was also a Korean War veteran and was discharged in 1954. He is currently interred at the National Cemetery in Icheon. According to the family, the youngest brother, Cho Imho, joined as a volunteer soldier and returned to his hometown, but was killed by local armed guerrillas on July 26, just one day before the Armistice Agreement was signed. The eldest brother, Cho Gyunho, was forcibly conscripted during the Japanese occupation.

The "Return of the Hero Who Defended the Nation" ceremony was held on this day at the home of Private Cho's younger sister in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, at the request of the family. His daughter, Cho Hanchun, representing the family, said, "I thought I would never see my father in my lifetime. I am truly happy to be able to meet him. I am grateful to everyone who remembered and cared for our family members living overseas as well."

With the identification of Private Cho Youngho, a total of 256 fallen soldiers have now been identified and returned to their families since the remains recovery project began in April 2000.