S. Korea returns 109 remains of Chinese soldiers killed in Korean War

INCHEON, South Korea, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- South Korea on Thursday returned 109 more remains of Chinese soldiers killed in the 1950-53 Korean War.

The eighth repatriation ceremony was held at the Incheon International Airport, west of the capital Seoul, attended by the Chinese delegation led by Vice Minister of Veterans Affairs Chang Zhengguo and the South Korean delegation led by Vice Defense Minister Park Jae-min.

During the ceremony, Chinese Ambassador to South Korea Xing Haiming covered the coffins with China's national flag before the coffins were carried onto the airplane.

It marked the eighth repatriation ceremony. In the previous seven repatriations, South Korea had returned the remains of 716 Chinese People's Volunteers martyrs killed in the Korean War, including 437 in 2014, 68 in 2015, 36 in 2016, 28 in 2017, 20 in 2018, 10 in 2019 and 117 in 2020.

At this year's ceremony, Chang said China and South Korea have jointly carried out handover of the remains of the Chinese People's Volunteers martyrs in South Korea for eight consecutive years and returned in total 825 remains to their motherland, following humanitarian principles and in the spirit of friendship and practical cooperation.

Chang noted that against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic since last year, both sides have made more efforts to successfully complete the handover.

The Chinese side appreciated the efforts made by the South Korean side and is ready to deepen friendly cooperation and exchanges between the two countries, promote the protection of the remains of the Chinese People's Volunteers martyrs in South Korea and bring more remains of the martyrs back to their motherland as soon as possible, Chang added.