[On-site] “Comrades buried in the cold ground for 75 years are returned to their families”... Excavation of remains at Hill 347

“I would like to excavate at least one more remains and send them to the bereaved families.”

A hill in Ssangchi-myeon, Sunchang-gun, Jeollabuk-do, visited around 9:30 am on the 10th.

After walking up the steep uphill road for about 20 minutes, I was able to meet about 90 soldiers sweating hard while carefully excavating with shovels and hoes on the ridge.

Soldiers repeatedly ran metal detectors on the tightly packed dirt to check if there were any remains or relics they had missed.

The Ministry of National Defense's Remains Excavation and Identification Team (State-owned) and the Army's 35th Infantry Division have been conducting an operation to excavate the remains of those killed in the Korean War in the Isan area since the 21st of last month.

Sergeant Choi Pil-jung of the National Defense Corps, whom we met at the site, said, "I majored in history, so I was always interested in excavating remains, and I joined the National Marine Corps after an interview. Last year, we excavated the remains of South Korean soldiers, including dog tags, and returned them to the bereaved families. It was a truly proud memory."

He then emphasized, "As he is scheduled to be discharged early next year, Sunchang will likely be the last site of the remains excavation operation," and added, "I will make every effort to send at least one more person back to the motherland with my own hands until the end."

Sergeant Kim Tae-oh of the 35th Division also said, "I realized that there could have been a battle even in the mountains I usually go to after seeing many relics found in seemingly ordinary mountains. I felt sorry for my seniors who passed away at a young age, and I was encouraged to see that they were trying to show respect to the fallen until the end (through the excavation of their remains)."

The area of ​​Hill 347, where the remains are being excavated, is where the ROK Army's 8th and 11th Divisions and the police fought three fierce battles against the guerrillas of the North Jeolla Province Party of the South Korean Workers' Party (South Korean Workers' Party) in 1951, resulting in many casualties.

Hill 347, where troops moving to Imsil, Jeongeup, and Damyang can be seen at a glance, was the site of a rare hill battle in the rear area after the Incheon landing operation.

Based on the testimonies of war veterans and local residents and the results of on-site visits, the state-owned group concluded that many South Korean soldiers and police officers were killed here and would remain unrecovered.

Afterwards, the National Defense Corps and the 35th Division conducted a remains excavation operation for five years starting in 2017, and as a result, they were able to excavate the remains of four bodies believed to be South Korean soldiers.

Although no remains have yet been excavated through this year's operation, 793 items, including worn items such as belts and combat boot soles, were discovered.

In particular, as there are many cases of worn keepsakes left after being killed in action, the National Foundation believes that there is a high possibility that South Korean soldiers who were unable to return to their families are still buried here.

To date, approximately 57% of the target area has been excavated, and excavation work will continue until the 20th.

Lieutenant Colonel Choi Young-bae of the 35th Division said, "The best we can do for our senior comrades who sacrificed their lives for our country is to restore their honor by finding their remains that have been buried alone in the mountains and fields for over 70 years. We will do our best in the remaining period of time for operations to remember their noble sacrifice."

In addition, the national government requested participation in 'collection of genetic samples from bereaved families' to confirm the identity of the remains of South Korean soldiers.

Oh Seung-rae, head of the excavation team at the state-owned group, expressed regret, saying, “To date, the remains of approximately 13,000 South Korean soldiers have been excavated nationwide, but the remains of less than 300 of them have been identified.”

He emphasized, "We will continue to do our best to collect the remains, but the public's active participation in sample collection is necessary to fully confirm the identity of these people and return them to their families and homeland."

He then asked, “Samples can be collected from even the maternal and paternal relatives, so please show interest and participate.”