A Korean War Fallen Soldier Returning to Family After 10 Years

The Head of Household Supporting His Widowed Mother and Siblings While Farming
Trained Only in Shooting at Gadukdo, Assigned to the 9th Division

The remains of the deceased were first identified by the humerus bone at a depth of 0.2 meters underground during excavation in 2012. (Photo by Ministry of National Defense)

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] The identity of a soldier who died in the Korean War has been confirmed 10 years after the remains were excavated. The remains have been identified as those of the late Private Jeong Jun-eon.

According to the Ministry of National Defense on the 8th, the remains were discovered in October 2012 in Bugwi-ri, Chuncheon-si, Gangwon-do. The remains were first identified by the humerus bone at a depth of 0.2 meters underground during the 2012 excavation, and later appeared in the form of a "mass grave" where multiple individuals' remains were excavated simultaneously in one area.

Through detailed forensic analysis, the remains were confirmed to include the left upper arm bone and the right shinbone. The exact date of death is unknown. After 10 years, more precise genetic analysis of the remains and the family members was conducted, resulting in the identification of Private Jeong. The deceased's younger brother had participated in collecting family DNA samples in June 2011, but at the time of excavation, limitations in analysis technology made it difficult to confirm familial relationships of the remains.

The deceased was born on July 18, 1930, in Jangmok-myeon, Geoje, Gyeongnam, as the second child among three sons and three daughters. He was the head of the family who supported his widowed mother and siblings by farming after the early death of his father. He enlisted on September 20, 1950, during the height of the Nakdong River defense battle, trained only in shooting at Gadukdo, and was deployed to the front lines as part of the 9th Division.

His younger brother shared, "When I became class president at school, my brother proudly boasted about me to the villagers day and night. After he went to the military, there was no news, and now that he has been found, I am moved to tears thinking of my poor brother. I am truly grateful to the Ministry of National Defense for finding him." The "Heroic Return Ceremony" (notification of identification) for Private Jeong will be held on the 21st in his hometown of Geoje, Gyeongnam. Since the remains excavation project began in April 2000, the identities of a total of 196 Korean War casualties have been confirmed.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.