S. Korea identifies remains of another Korean War soldier

SEOUL, Oct. 28 (Yonhap) -- South Korea has identified the remains of another South Korean soldier killed during the 1950-53 Korean War after their discovery two years earlier, the defense ministry said Friday.

The ministry's excavation team and personnel from the Army's 102nd Armored Brigade found the remains of Pfc. Jang Gi-su in the form of a single shin bone in the coastal county of Yangyang, 215 kilometers east of Seoul, in May 2020.

They initially had difficulties analyzing it due to decades of weathering but after further analysis, they were able to identify the bone based on a DNA sample Jang's son had registered with the government in 2014.

Born in the southeastern city of Andong, Jang joined the military in 1950 and served as part of the Army's 3rd Infantry Division.

He was killed during the South's first advance into the North, which began in October that year, in the three-year conflict, according to the ministry.

South Korea has so far identified the remains of 198 service members killed in the conflict since it launched the excavation project in 2000.

yunhwanchae@yna.co.kr
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