On 70th anniversary of 'forgotten war,' remains of 147 South Korean soldiers will arrive in Seoul

In a ceremony coinciding with a major anniversary of the “forgotten” Korean War, the remains of 147 Korean soldiers will arrive in Seoul on Thursday from the United States. Later this week, South Korea will return to the United Nations Command six sets of American remains.

The event marks the largest repatriation of remains from the war, according to officials from the U.S. Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) and is the result of meticulous analysis.

"It is the incredible improvements in technology, advancements in forensic science and the strong partnership between DPAA and MAKRI [the North Korean recovery and identification agency] which led to these identifications," said DPAA spokesman Lee Tucker.

The Korean War began on June 25, 1950, when an overwhelming force of North Korean soldiers invaded the south. During brutal fighting under harsh conditions, an estimated 5 million people died by the time armistice was declared on July 27, 1953.

In the early 1990’s, and again in 2018, North Korea turned over to U.S. control multiple sets of unidentified warfighter remains.

The remains were analyzed at the DPAA laboratory at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, in Hawaii. Using DNA analysis and other methods, American and South Korean forensic scientists found that 147 sets of remains were Korean.

Seven sets were identified, and will be returned to their families in South Korea, the DPAA said.

Following a ceremony at the Hawaii base, the Korean remains were flown to Seoul, where they will be met by South Korean President Moon Jae-in. 

More than 7,800 Americans remain unaccounted for from the Korean War, according to the DPAA.