Remains of 270 Korean War dead enshrined

SEOUL, Dec. 12 (Yonhap) -- Remains of South Korean soldiers killed in action
during the Korean War were enshrined at Seoul's National Cemetery, the defense
ministry said Friday.

Seoul found some 270 remains in the latter half of this year alone, bringing the
total to over 2,200 since the government initiated the excavation program in
2000.
Most of the discovered remains have been laid to rest at Seoul's National
Cemetery, while those of 13 others whose identities have been confirmed were
buried separately at national cemeteries here or in the southern city of Daejeon,
according to the ministry.
A ceremony was held at the Seoul National Memorial, attended by Prime Minister
Han Seung-soo, Defense Minister Lee Sang-hee and some 350 other ranking members
of the government and the military.
Seoul has long tried to find the remains of those who fell during the 1950-53
Korean War, though the KIA Recovery and Identification Agency, specifically
tasked with the project, was belatedly established in 2000.
During its eight-year search for South Korean and U.N. troops killed during the
war, the agency has also found the remains of 614 North Korean and Chinese
soldiers. They are temporarily buried at a graveyard located near the
demilitarized zone that divides the two Koreas.
brk@yna.co.kr
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