Remains of Korean War soldier killed on Armistice Day reunited with daughter

Kim Soon-im, 71, the only daughter of Army Sgt. Kim Geum-deuk, receives a case containing her father’s remains and his identification tag from Lee Geun-won, head of the Ministry of National Defense’s Agency for KIA Recovery and Identification, during a ceremony in Iksan, North Jeolla Province, Tuesday. Courtesy of the Ministry of National Defense

On the day the armistice halted the Korean War in July 1953, Army Sgt. Kim Geum-deuk, just 28, was killed in battle. Seven decades later, his remains have finally returned home, giving his only daughter a long-awaited chance to meet the father she barely knew and to reckon with a loss that has shadowed her entire life.

Born in 1925 in Hamyang, South Gyeongsang Province, Kim was the fifth of seven siblings. In 1951, amid the war, he and his wife welcomed their daughter, Soon-im. Two years later, he left his young family behind and enlisted in the 7th Division of the Army.

He was deployed to the front lines and took part in the bloody Battle of Jeokgeunsan and Samhyeon in Cheorwon, Gangwon Province. This clash saw two South Korean divisions fighting four Chinese divisions in a desperate struggle to stabilize the line. On July 27, 1953 — the very day the armistice was signed — Kim was killed in action. His bravery was recognized posthumously in 1963 with the Hwarang Order of Military Merit.

Last November, the Agency for KIA Recovery and Identification (MAKRI), part of the Ministry of National Defense, unearthed remains in Cheorwon. A breakthrough was achieved when an identification tag was found alongside the bones, enabling researchers to match the name and service number with military records. DNA testing and archival research ultimately confirmed that the remains belonged to Kim.

On Tuesday, the agency held a “Return of Heroes” ceremony at the home of his 71-year-old daughter in Iksan, North Jeolla Province. She received a case containing his remains and personal effects from MAKRI Director Lee Geun-won.

“I always felt sad because I couldn't say goodbye when he left for the army,” she said, her voice breaking. “Now that I know his remains have been found, I truly feel connected to him. I want to fulfill my duty by having him laid to rest in a national cemetery.”

Since the recovery program launched in 2000, the remains of 259 soldiers have been returned to their families. Thousands more still lie undiscovered in the mountains and fields of Korea. Authorities continue to urge relatives to provide DNA samples, reminding them: “You, too, may be family.”

For Kim’s daughter, the moment was both heartbreaking and healing. After 72 years, her father, lost to war, finally came home.