S. Korea identifies remains of another Korean War soldier

SEOUL, Sept. 8 (Yonhap) -- South Korea has identified the remains of a South Korean soldier killed during the 1950-53 Korean War after their excavation from a battle site around a decade ago, the defense ministry said Thursday.

The ministry's excavation team and personnel from the Army's 702nd Commando Regiment found the remains of Pfc. Jeong Jun-eon in Chuncheon, 75 kilometers northeast of Seoul, in October 2012.

The team initially had difficulty identifying pieces of his bones as they were found among those of others, while the then DNA analysis technology was not sufficient enough for the identification work, according to the team.

Using a more detailed DNA analysis method a decade later, the team was able to identify the bone fragments as his based on a DNA sample that his younger brother had registered with the government.

Born on the southeastern island of Geoje in 1930, Jeong joined the military in September 1950 and served as part of the Army's 9th Infantry Division.

The government plans to hold an event marking the return of the remains to his family in his hometown on Sept. 21.

South Korea has so far identified the remains of 196 soldiers killed in the conflict since it launched the excavation project in 2000.

colin@yna.co.kr
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