Beijing (TDI): South Korea is set to return the remains of 43 Chinese People’s Volunteers (CPV) who perished during the Korean War, in what will mark the 11th such repatriation between the two nations.
The handover is scheduled for late November, as announced by China’s Ministry of Veterans Affairs.
Since the establishment of a handover agreement in 2014, South Korea and China have successfully transferred the remains of 938 CPV soldiers across 10 consecutive ceremonies, adhering to international laws and humanitarian principles.
Both nations have reaffirmed their commitment to continuing this cooperation, according to Xinhua News Agency.
The repatriation efforts have become a symbol of goodwill between China and South Korea, reflecting their shared commitment to reconciliation and international peace, said Lü Chao, a Korean Peninsula expert from the Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences.
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For China, the CPV soldiers represent a profound legacy of sacrifice and heroism.
The Chinese People’s Volunteers crossed the Yalu River in 1950 to aid North Korea during the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea.
Out of the 2.9 million CPV troops deployed, 197,653 soldiers lost their lives. Their names are etched on a memorial wall at the CPV Martyrs’ Cemetery in Shenyang.
Efforts to identify and locate the families of fallen soldiers have gained momentum in recent years.
Volunteers’ Relatives Identified
Earlier this year, China’s Ministry of Veterans Affairs announced that the relatives of 10 martyrs had been successfully identified through DNA comparisons.
China has also developed a robust DNA database for soldiers and their relatives, enabling advanced kinship recognition techniques. As of January 2024, these efforts have helped confirm the identities of 20 CPV soldiers, according to People’s Daily.
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The return of the CPV soldiers’ remains underscores the enduring importance of honouring historical sacrifices while fostering bilateral ties between China and South Korea.
