Ministry of National Defense Republic of Korea

Vice Minister of National Defense Suh Choo-suk attended the sixth Ceremony to Repatriate the Remains of Chinese troops

The event was held jointly with China’s department of veterans affairs for the first time; this will lead to the maintenance of close cooperation between the two countries in the future One set of remains was excavated at Arrowhead Ridge; CCTV (China Central TV) broadcast the ceremony live due to the high level of public interest.  

Ten sets of the remains of Chinese troops who died in Korea during the Korean War have been returned home after about 60 years.

On April 3rd, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) held the sixth ceremony to repatriate the remains of Chinese troops. The event took place at Incheon International Airport at 10:00 AM, and was attended by Vice Minister of National Defense Suh Choo-suk and Deputy Chief of the Veterans Affairs Department of China Chen Feng, there on behalf of Republic of Korea and China, respectively.

The repatriation of the remains of Chinese troops, which started in 2014, shows the Republic of Korean government’s humanitarian efforts to heal the scars of war and conveys a message of peace to enhance stability and peace on the Korean Peninsula.

 In keeping with international laws and in a spirit of humanitarianism, both Republic of Korea and China agreed on January 22nd, 2014 to repatriate the remains of Chinese troops each year before Qingming Festival (Chinese Memorial Day, April 5). Since then, a total of 589 sets of remains of Chinese troops were delivered to China. This year, ten sets of remains were repatriated to China, one of which was discovered at Arrowhead Ridge in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).

 This ceremony marks the first such event to involve China’s Department of Veterans Affairs, which was founded last year. China’s Department of Veterans Affairs has a function that is similar to that of the Republic of Korean Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, including the creation of education, job opportunities and other forms of preferential treatment for discharged soldiers, maintenance of the graveyard of patriotic martyrs and soldiers, and commemoration activities. 

“We will maintain our close cooperation with China’s Department of Veterans Affairs, and work to build relations between our two countries through the continuous repatriation of the remains of Chinese troops in the future,” the MND said. 

 Meanwhile, the repatriation of ten sets of war remains also made headlines in China. China Central TV (CCTV) showed a live broadcast of the ceremony to repatriate the remains of Chinese troops that took place on Wednesday at Incheon International Airport, as well as the repatriation process, and the arrival of the remains in China.  

By Byeong-No, Yun <trylover@dema.mil.kr >
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