▲ The Ministry of National Defense headquarters in Yongsan, Seoul, on Aug. 14, 2026 (Yonhap)

SEOUL, Aug. 31 (Yonhap) -- The defense ministry said Monday it has launched second-half operations to recover and identify the remains of soldiers killed in the 1950-53 Korean War, continuing its efforts to bring closure to families of service members killed in action or still missing.

The Agency for KIA Recovery and Identification under the ministry will carry out the excavation project starting Monday through Nov. 27, deploying troops from 14 Army divisions and brigades, and the 1st Marine Division, the ministry said.

The troops will be deployed to mountainous areas in more than 20 regions across Gyeonggi, Gangwon, South Chungcheong, North Jeolla and North Gyeongsang provinces.

In particular, they plan to focus on the border areas of Paju, Cheorwon and the southeastern county of Gunwi, key battlegrounds against North Korean and Chinese communist forces at the height of the three-year conflict.

The Army's 5th Division, responsible for the Battle of Baengmagoji (White Horse Hill) area, will spend the entire three-month period working on the excavation and recovery of remains in the area, unlike other units that will be deployed for up to six weeks.

The Baengmagoji battle was one of the most intense and bloodiest conflicts of the Korean War. The 10-day fighting that took place northwest of Cheorwon in October of 1952 led to a victory for the U.N.-led allied forces, after South Korean troops successfully defended the strategic hill against a massive Chinese assault.

The ministry said the agency recovered 77 sets of remains and over 31,000 items believed to be personal belongings of fallen soldiers during the first-half excavation period from March 9 to July 3.

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