Remains of 12 Korean War troops interred at national cemeteries

Korea's military held ceremonies Wednesday to lay to rest the remains of 12 soldiers killed in the 1950-53 Korean War following their excavation from former battle sites, the Army said.

The ceremonies took place at Seoul National Cemetery and Daejeon National Cemetery, 160 kilometers south of the capital, where the remains of eight and four fallen troops were interred, respectively.

Army Chief of Staff Gen. Park Jeong-hwan hosted the ceremony in Seoul, while Vice Army Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Yeo Oon-tai led the event in Daejeon.

"Our seniors' trails of victory have become a sturdy foundation for Korea's freedom, peace and prosperity," Park said during the event. "The Army will locate until the end other heroes who might be waiting somewhere for our retrieval, and return them to their families."

Among the late war heroes were Kim Il-su and Cho Eung-seong whose remains have been recovered from the White Horse Ridge, a former battle site inside the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas. Kim and Cho held the same rank equivalent to the current corporal. (Yonhap)