South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense said it held the 13th handover ceremony for the remains of Chinese troops from the 6·25 War on the morning of April 22 at Incheon International Airport.
The ministry said the event was co-hosted by Defense Vice Minister Lee Doo-hee and Xu Yao, a vice minister at China’s Ministry of Veterans Affairs.
South Korea repatriated 12 sets of remains this year. From 2014 through last year, it returned a total of 1,011 sets, bringing the cumulative number repatriated to 1,023, the ministry said.
The ceremony included the signing of documents for the transfer, a Chinese memorial service, the movement of the remains and placement aboard a military aircraft, and remarks by representatives from both sides.
South Korea has held official events, including handover ceremonies, each year since 2014. It skipped public ceremonies for the 11th repatriation in November 2024 and for last year’s 12th repatriation, then resumed a vice-minister-level public event for the first time in three years.
China Central Television reported that China’s delegation tasked with receiving the remains of Chinese People’s Volunteers soldiers in South Korea departed for South Korea on April 19 and was to take custody of the remains on April 22 before returning. CCTV said China deployed its newest large transport aircraft, the Y-20B, for the mission.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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