Lee calls repatriation of Korean War remains 'most noble tribute' to fallen heroes

10 South Korean soldiers return home; 3 US troops to be sent back to America

'We will not stop DNA identification and tracking until the last hero is identified'

President Lee Jae-myung delivers a memorial address at the Korea-US Korean War remains repatriation ceremony held at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam on Friday. [Yonhap]

President Lee Jae-myung said Friday that the mutual repatriation of Korean War remains between South Korea and the United States represents "a promise by both nations to remember together, to the very end, the heroes who gave their lives for freedom and peace" — and called it "the most noble tribute to their sacrifice."

Lee presided over the Korea-US Korean War remains repatriation ceremony at the state guest facility of Seoul Air Base in Seongnam.

The ceremony marked the first time the mutual repatriation of Korean War remains — previously held in Hawaii — had taken place on South Korean soil, Cheong Wa Dae said, describing the event as a symbolic demonstration of the strength of the Korea-US alliance and both nations' commitment to honoring the fallen.

At the ceremony, the remains of 10 South Korean soldiers were repatriated from Hawaii to South Korea, while the remains of three US service members are to be returned to the United States.

In his memorial address, Lee called the occasion "a meaningful first — the mutual repatriation of Korean War remains held for the first time on the soil of this Republic of Korea, a country that both nations defended together with blood and sweat."

"More than 70 years ago, there were heroes who gave their most passionate youth and their most precious lives to protect the freedom and peace of the Republic of Korea," he said. "It is thanks to their noble sacrifice that we have been able to preserve that freedom and peace."

Lee said many of those heroes had been unable to return to their beloved hometowns even as long years passed after the war ended. "I believe that bringing those heroes fully back into the embrace of their homeland is the historic duty we, the survivors, must fulfill," he said.

President Lee Jae-myung salutes the fallen at the Korea-US Korean War remains repatriation ceremony held at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam on Friday. [Yonhap]

The government has not yet been able to identify the repatriated remains by name. Lee said that fact did not diminish the weight of their sacrifice. "We will remember them forever by the most honorable name: heroes of the Republic of Korea," he said.

He also pledged that the government would not stop DNA identification and tracking "until the day the identity of the last hero is confirmed, so that those who defended their country may rest in peace in the embrace of their homeland."

Lee described the repatriation as "a meaningful milestone that deepens and strengthens the Korea-US alliance, built upon the blood and dedication of those who served," adding that the effort to find not only one's own fallen soldiers but also those of an ally and return them to their families was "the most powerful proof of the blood-forged Korea-US alliance."

"I am convinced that if the two countries move forward together, hand in hand and without wavering, lasting peace will take root on this land and mutual prosperity will flourish," Lee said, pledging to "continue building the noble history of solidarity for freedom and peace together with future generations."

Lee closed with a renewed commitment to honor each hero individually. "The government pledges to do its utmost to protect the honor of every single hero and ensure their noble spirit is fully passed on to future generations," he said. "We will build a country that repays extraordinary sacrifice with extraordinary honor — a responsible Republic of Korea that forgets not a single hero. We will build a safe and peaceful nation and repay their sacrifice without fail."

The ceremony was attended by Lee along with Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-baek, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Jin Yeong-seung, the chiefs of staff of the Army, Navy and Air Force, the deputy commander of the Combined Forces Command, and the deputy commandant of the Marine Corps, among other senior military officials.

On the US side, James Heller, chargé d'affaires at the US Embassy in Seoul, Gen. Xavier Brunson, commander of the UN Command and the Korea-US Combined Forces Command, and Jennifer Walsh, principal deputy director of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, were in attendance.

The identities of the fallen repatriated to both countries are to be confirmed through DNA analysis and other identification procedures conducted by South Korea's Ministry of National Defense Agency for KIA Recovery and Identification and the US Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency after the remains are received, with the aim of notifying the families of the deceased.

moone@heraldcorp.com