South Korea repatriates remains of 88 Chinese soldiers killed in Korean war

The handover of the bodies was the first since pro-US President Yoon Suk-yeol came to power in May

In 2014 the two countries agreed to start repatriating the remains of soldiers killed fighting alongside North Korean forces in the 1950-53 conflict

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Chinese soldiers carry caskets containing the remains of soldiers killed in the Korean war. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 4:06pm, 16 Sep 2022Updated: 4:32pm, 16 Sep 2022

South Korea repatriated the remains of 88 Chinese soldiers killed during the Korean war on Friday, the first such ceremony since President Yoon Suk-yeol took office in May.

South Korean honour guards handed over wooden caskets with the remains during a ceremony at Incheon airport near Seoul, where they were loaded onto a Chinese air force cargo plane in an event broadcast on a live video stream.

The remains were received hours later in China’s northeastern city of Shenyang in a military ceremony attended by Chinese veterans of the three-year conflict.

This was the ninth such handover since the two countries – former Cold War-era foes – signed a 2014 agreement on the issue, and brings the total sets of returned Chinese remains to 913.

Friday’s repatriations are also the first to take place since the inauguration of South Korea’s Yoon, who has sought to maintain a friendly relationship with Beijing even as he moves to deepen ties with major security ally Washington.

China’s ambassador to South Korea Xing Haiming covers the caskets containing the remains of Chinese soldiers killed in the Korean war, with the national flag. Photo: EPA-EFE

“Our yearly handovers of the remains of Chinese troops are held on a humanitarian basis, but also symbolise friendly cooperation between South Korea and China,” Lee Do-hoon, South Korea’s second vice-minister for foreign affairs, told the event.