A War Casualty Returned to His Only Daughter's Arms After 72 Years

Remains Excavated in 2010 Identified as Late Private Kim Hyuntaek

The remains of a soldier who died at the young age of 25 during the Korean War are returning to his only daughter after 72 years.

On the 23rd, the Ministry of National Defense's Remains Recovery and Identification Team (hereafter referred to as the National Recovery Team) confirmed the identity of the remains excavated in June 2010 in Mahyeon-ri, Cheorwon-gun, Gangwon Province, as Private Kim Hyun-taek of the Republic of Korea Army's 2nd Division.

Private Kim's remains were recovered during an excavation operation conducted by soldiers of the Army's 15th Division at a site presumed to be a personal trench from the Korean War. Numerous personal effects such as a spoon, medicine bottles, and bullet casings were found around the remains, but the identity could not be determined until genetic samples were collected from the deceased's family members and subjected to detailed comparative analysis, which confirmed a father-daughter relationship with his daughter, Kim Deuk-rye. This marks the 212th time that the identity of remains recovered through excavation has been confirmed.

Private Kim was born in February 1926 as the second child among four sons and three daughters in the Jeungdo-myeon area of Sinan-gun, Jeollanam-do. Before enlisting, he farmed with his parents in his hometown and later married, having one daughter. He enlisted in May 1951 and was assigned to the Republic of Korea Army's 2nd Division. He participated in the 'Battle of Hill 734' near Cheorwon, Gangwon Province, from August 2 to September 3 of that year and died in action on August 15.

The Battle of Hill 734 was a strategic point on the central front connecting Jeokgeunsan in Cheorwon-gun and Kimhwa-gun, Gangwon Province, where fierce battles were fought multiple times. The 'Return of the National Hero' ceremony, which informs the family of the confirmed identity of the fallen soldier, will be held at the family home in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, on the same day.

Kim Deuk-rye, the deceased's daughter, said, "I feel like I have completed a lifelong task by finding my father's remains," and expressed gratitude to everyone who worked hard to recover the remains. Families of Korean War fallen soldiers can participate in identity verification by providing genetic samples up to the eighth degree of kinship. When the identity of a fallen soldier is confirmed through the provided genetic information, a reward of 10 million won is given.

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