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| ▲ This photo, provided by the Ministry of National Defense, shows the remains of Sergeant Oh. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ This photo, provided by the Ministry of National Defense, shows taegeuk mark medicine cabinet unearthed from remains. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ This photo, provided by the Ministry of National Defense, shows the remains of the Korean War dead returning from Hawaii and arriving in Korea on September 23, 2021. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ This photo, provided by the Ministry of National Defense, shows Private Choi's right shinbone remains. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
SEOUL, Jan. 18(Yonhap) - The remains, believed to be U.S. soldiers killed during Korean War and returned from United States, have been identified as South Korean Private Choi Bong-geun.
MND Agency or KIA Recovery & Identification has announced that one of the 66 remains of the Korean War dead returned through United States and the Republic of Korea Joint Repatriation Ceremony was identified as Private Choi Bong-geun, on Wednesday.
Private Choi’s right shinbone was partly found in April 2001 in Sabuk-myeon, Chuncheon, Gangwon Province during the excavation of the remains of U.S. soldiers killed in action.
The U.S. military transferred the remains to the Hawaii Identification Center, as they presumed to be their war dead, and excavated for identification. Since then, South Korea and the U.S. jointly identified the remains based on the Korean War records, excavation circumstances, and genetic and legal anthropological analysis results, and judged them as South Korean soldiers killed in battle.
The 66 remains, including Private Choi, were returned to Korea in September 2021 through a "U.S. and South Korea Joint Repatriation Ceremony.”
A genetic analysis after the return confirmed the relationship between the deceased's daughter, Wolseon, who collected a sample in 2020. It is first time to be identified among 66 remains returned at the time.
Born in Miryang, South Gyeongsang Province in 1920, Choi enlisted leaving one son and one daughter behind when the Korean War broke out, and on October 1 of that year, he died when he was 31 years old when the South Korean military crossed the 38th parallel.
Private Choi's daughter, Wolseon, thanked the military for the news of her father's return, saying, "I am thrilled to meet my father after waiting for a long time with hope."
The "Return Ceremony of the Patriotic Hero" (translated) for Private Choi will be held at the home of the bereaved family in Miryang on the same day.
Sergeant Oh’s remains were first discovered by professional excavation forces in areas believed to be foxhole during the Korean War, and most of his bones remained from head to foot bones in a straight lying position in the surrounding extension excavation.
On the left chest, there was also a military rank badge, and on the right, there was a medicine cabinet engraved with the Taegeuk pattern.
The Taegeuk mark medicine cabinet was given to soldiers who participated in the Korean War in accordance with the Korean War Military Order enacted in 1950. MAKRI has explained that a total of six articles left by the deceased, including two, have been found in the Demilitarized Zone so far.
MAKRI has identified Second Sergeant hometown as Naju City, South Jeolla Province, from the pathological data of the dead, and found Oh Jong-sook, who is believed to be the son of the deceased, by examining the certified copy of archived family register records of Naju.
In April last year, MAKRI visited Jong-sook and collected genetic samples and analyzed them thoroughly, confirming his family relationship.
As a result, the total number of dead people who have been identified after collected at the Arrowhead Hill has increased to 10.
Born in Gongsan-myeon, Naju in 1930, the deceased enlisted in April 1952 leaving his pregnant wife behind and fought in the Battle of Arrowhead Hill as a member of the 2nd Division.
The 2nd Division defended the highlands by blocking tactical offensive of the enemy after repeatedly fighting with the Chinese army over the Northern Arrowhead Hill in Cheorwon, a key point on the central front. Sergeant Oh, however, died heroically at the age of 22 on July 10, 1953, ahead of the ceasefire.
The state-run organization has carried the message of Jong-suk, son of Second Sergeant Oh, saying "This is the reason why I have lived so far, to meet my father's remains, even if it is late."
The excavation of the remains began in April 2004, and total of 204 people have been identified since.
(This article is translated from Korean to English by Yunhee Cho.)
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