The remains of a soldier killed in the 1950-53 Korean War have been identified through DNA analysis, five years after they were recovered from a former battle site, the defense ministry said Friday.

The identification of the remains of Sfc. Park Boo-keun was possible as his 82-year-old younger sister registered her DNA sample with the government, according to the ministry.

Park's remains were excavated at Mount Baekseok in Yanggu, around 175 kilometers northeast of Seoul, in 2016.

The mountain was one of the strategic points in the eastern region, where more than 500 sets of war remains have been discovered. Until now, 15 of them have been identified.

The identification marks the 166th such case since South Korea began excavating remains in 2000 to find soldiers who died during the war.

The late soldier Park is presumed to have died during a battle in 1951, one year after joining the military.

Around 140,000 South Korean troops were killed in action, and about 450,000 others were injured during the three-year war. The number of fallen South Korean troops whose remains have yet to be recovered stands at around 123,000.

The ministry said it will hold a ceremony to mark Park's return and lay his remains at a national cemetery. (Yonhap)