Korea begins Korean War remains excavation project for this year

Belongings of a soldier who was killed during the 1950-53 Korean War are displayed at an exhibition hall of the Seoul National Cemetery in the capital in this Dec. 29, 2023 file photo. Yonhap

Korea began an annual project Monday to recover the remains of soldiers killed during the 1950-53 Korean War, the defense ministry said.

The Agency for KIA Recovery and Identification said it will mobilize service members to excavate war remains in 36 former battle sites across the country until November.

This year, the agency aims to collect over 12,500 genetic samples from bereaved family members under the goal of excavating the remains of over 220 fallen soldiers and identifying over 25 of them.

Korea has so far identified the remains of 225 service members killed in the conflict since it launched the excavation project in 2000. (Yonhap)