South Korea's military has identified the remains of another soldier killed during the 1950-53 Korean War, a dozen years after their discovery at a former battle site, the defense ministry said Thursday.
The ministry's excavation team recovered the remains of Ssg. Heo Chang-sik in Inje, 119 kilometers east of Seoul, in 2011, and confirmed his identity based on a DNA analysis using a sample from his younger brother. Staff sergeant was the equivalent of the current corporal.
Having joined the Army in September 1950, Heo died in action during a battle near Mount Seorak at the age of 18 in May 1951. His elder brother, Chang-ho, was also killed in action at a battle in Sunchang, 236 km south of the capital, in January 1951, according to the ministry.
The government plans to hold a ceremony marking his return at a home of his bereaved family on the southern island of Jeju on Thursday.
South Korea has so far identified the remains of 207 service members killed in the conflict since it launched the excavation project in 2000. (Yonhap)
