A Warrior Who Died at 18... Returning to the Arms of Family

Identification of Korean War Casualty Excavated in Chilgok-gun, Gyeongbuk
Confirmed as Late Sergeant Lee Seung-ok of the ROK Army Capital Division

The identity of a fallen soldier who died in a fierce battle during the Korean War has been confirmed.

The initial identification appearance of the late Sergeant Lee Seung-ok (current rank: Sergeant) remains excavated around Yongsu-ri, Chilgok-gun, Gyeongbuk, in November 2020

The Ministry of National Defense's Remains Recovery and Identification Team (Kookyudan) announced on the 20th that the remains of a Korean War soldier excavated around Yongsu-ri, Chilgok-gun, Gyeongbuk Province in November 2020 have been identified as the late Corporal Lee Seung-ok (posthumously promoted to Sergeant) of the Republic of Korea Army Capital Division.

The late Corporal Lee was born on April 14, 1932, in Gobu-myeon, Jeongeup-si, Jeollabuk-do, as the fourth child among two sons and three daughters. According to testimony from Lee Cheon-su, the nephew of the late Corporal Lee, before enlisting, he helped at his older brother’s tailor shop to make a living. He enlisted in the Capital Division Armored Regiment in July 1949 and participated in the ‘Gasan-Palgongsan Battle’ that took place in the Chilgok-gun area of Gyeongbuk Province from August 13 to September 22, 1950. He died in action on August 31 at the young age of 18.

The Gasan-Palgongsan Battle was a defensive engagement where the ROK and UN forces halted the North Korean August offensive in the northern Daegu area, from the time they formed the Nakdong River defense line until they switched to a counterattack. The remains of the late Corporal Lee were recovered in an incomplete state by junior soldiers. Around November 2020, Kookyudan and about 100 soldiers from the Army’s 50th Division conducted preliminary excavations in the battle area, where fierce close combat occurred during the Korean War, and first identified the late soldier’s right upper arm bone.

No personal effects were identified with the remains, but the area yielded numerous explosives such as grenades and mortar shells. Considering that the bones were partially scattered, it is presumed that he died in intense firepower combat during the war.

This identification was made through mobile inquiries to locate the family based on the soldiers’ military records.

The mobile inquiry officer of Kookyudan confirmed the soldier’s registered domicile as Jeongeup, Jeollanam-do, and compared it with the family registry records of Jeongeup City. In March 2021, he visited Lee Cheon-su, presumed to be the soldier’s nephew, and collected a DNA sample. The DNA from the remains and the family member was analyzed in detail to confirm the familial relationship.

The ‘Return of the National Hero Ceremony’ to inform the family of the identified fallen soldier will be held at the family’s home in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, on the same day. This ceremony honors the heroes who sacrificed their lives for the country during the Korean War but whose remains had not yet been recovered, bringing the fallen soldiers back to their families from unknown resting places.

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