South Korea returns remains of 36 Chinese soldiers lost in Korean War

INCHEON, South Korea, March 31 -- South Korea on Thursday handed over the remains of 36 Chinese soldiers killed in the 1950-53 Korean War.

A transfer ceremony was held on Thursday morning at South Korea's Incheon International Airport, about 50 km west of the capital of Seoul.

The coffins and belongings of the fallen soldiers were officially handed over to a Chinese delegation led by Vice Minister of Civil Affairs Dou Yupei.

The Chinese Ambassador to South Korea Qiu Guohong covered the coffins with China's national flag, and a brief memorial service was held before the remains were flown home by a Chinese military plane.

In 2014-2015, South Korea returned the remains of 505 Chinese soldiers, and Thursday's handover was the third one since 2014.

After the ceremony, Dou told reporters that South Korea and China, in the spirit of friendliness and practical cooperation, have conducted handovers of the remains of the war dead three times, which is a reflection of the continued, sound and steady development of the strategic cooperative partnership between the two sides.

Dou also expressed gratitude for the cooperation and efforts made by the South Korean side, as well as for the goodwill shown by the South Korean media and people over the handover.

According to an agreement between China and South Korea, the two sides consult every year on the handover of remains of Chinese soldiers found in South Korea.

The Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) fought side by side with the army of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in the Korean War against the South Korean army and U.S.-led UN forces.

Tens of thousands of CPV soldiers died on the Korean Peninsula during the war, which ended in an armistice in 1953.