China confirms identities of 8 more volunteer soldiers killed in Korean War

BEIJING, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- China has confirmed the identities of eight more Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) martyrs who lost their lives during the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-1953), the Ministry of Veterans Affairs said on Wednesday.

This marks further progress in efforts to identify the remains of CPV martyrs repatriated from the Republic of Korea (ROK), the ministry said.

More than 70 years ago, the CPV crossed the Yalu River and fought alongside the army and civilians of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) against the ROK army and U.S.-led UN forces. China sent 2.9 million CPV soldiers to assist the DPRK during the war, of whom more than 360,000 were killed or injured. Most of the fallen CPV soldiers were buried on the Korean Peninsula.

According to an agreement between China and the ROK signed in late 2013, the two sides consult every year on the handover of remains of Chinese soldiers found in the ROK.

Since 2014, China and the ROK have completed 13 consecutive handovers involving the remains of 1,023 CPV martyrs.

In recent years, China has intensified efforts to identify the remains of CPV martyrs, including the creation of a DNA database for martyrs and their relatives, offering solid technical and data support to help more families find their missing loved ones.

To date, the identities of 44 of the martyrs have been confirmed and their relatives have been located.