147 sets of S. Korean troop remains return home on eve of 70th anniversary of Korean War
- 4 years ago
6•25 전사 국군 유해 하와이에서 조국으로
The remains of scores of South Korean troops killed during the Korean War have been brought home from Hawaii... on the eve of the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of the war.
Our defense ministry correspondent Kim Ji-yeon reports.
One-hundred-47 sets of South Korean soldiers' remains have finally returned home... some 70 years after the men left their homes to fight alongside allied forces in the Korean War.
The KC-330 aerial tanker that carried the remains... escorted by six South Korean Air Force fighter jets... landed at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam on Wednesday afternoon.
This is the largest set of remains that has been repatriated from the U.S. to South Korea.
"It is overwhelming. I watched the honor guards move, it brought a chill and a tear in my eye, thinking of what we're doing. It is monumental historic in nature between our two countries... I am thrilled for your country. And those seven families can tell that those loved ones would be coming home (in two days)."
"It's been 70 years since the outbreak of the Korean War. Veterans are nearing 90 years of age. It is the nation's and soldiers' duty to honor and remember those who have sacrificed their lives for this country."
The remains were among those brought to the U.S. after joint excavation work in North Korea from 1990 to 1994, and those returned to the U.S. following the Singapore summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump in June of 2018.
Through joint forensic reviews, South Korea and the U.S. identified 147 sets as those of South Koreans.
An official ceremony to welcome the sets of remains is to be held on Thursday.
Kim Ji-yeon, Arirang News.
The remains of scores of South Korean troops killed during the Korean War have been brought home from Hawaii... on the eve of the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of the war.
Our defense ministry correspondent Kim Ji-yeon reports.
One-hundred-47 sets of South Korean soldiers' remains have finally returned home... some 70 years after the men left their homes to fight alongside allied forces in the Korean War.
The KC-330 aerial tanker that carried the remains... escorted by six South Korean Air Force fighter jets... landed at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam on Wednesday afternoon.
This is the largest set of remains that has been repatriated from the U.S. to South Korea.
"It is overwhelming. I watched the honor guards move, it brought a chill and a tear in my eye, thinking of what we're doing. It is monumental historic in nature between our two countries... I am thrilled for your country. And those seven families can tell that those loved ones would be coming home (in two days)."
"It's been 70 years since the outbreak of the Korean War. Veterans are nearing 90 years of age. It is the nation's and soldiers' duty to honor and remember those who have sacrificed their lives for this country."
The remains were among those brought to the U.S. after joint excavation work in North Korea from 1990 to 1994, and those returned to the U.S. following the Singapore summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump in June of 2018.
Through joint forensic reviews, South Korea and the U.S. identified 147 sets as those of South Koreans.
An official ceremony to welcome the sets of remains is to be held on Thursday.
Kim Ji-yeon, Arirang News.