'Military Medal Hero' Returns After 70 Years

Identification of the Remains of Late Lieutenant Kim Hee-jeong

The remains of the late Lieutenant Kim Hee-jung, fully exposed at the excavation site. (Photo by Ministry of National Defense)

A war hero who received a military merit medal 70 years ago has returned to his family. The protagonist is the late Lieutenant Kim Hee-jung.

According to the Ministry of National Defense's Remains Excavation and Identification Team (hereafter the National Excavation Team) on the 30th, the identity of the remains excavated in 2022 around Gasan-myeon, Chilgok-gun, Gyeongbuk Province was confirmed to be the late Lieutenant Kim Hee-jung. He was a veteran who ended a turbulent life in the midst of the Japanese colonial period and the Korean War.

The National Excavation Team recovered the remains, which were intact from the skull to the foot bones, in September 2022 based on testimonies from veterans that "there was fierce fighting near Yongsu-ri, Gasan-myeon" and tips from local residents. They later identified the family and confirmed the identity through the war casualty roster and other records.

The deceased was born in 1923 as the youngest son among three sons and one daughter. In his youth, during the Japanese colonial period, he lived in Manchuria with his family, and after liberation, he helped his parents farm in Changnyeong-gun, Gyeongnam Province. He enlisted in the Defense Guard and served as a non-commissioned officer. When the Korean War broke out, he participated as a member of the 15th Regiment, 1st Division, and on September 5, 1950, during the "Gasan-Palgongsan Battle," he was commissioned as an officer on site. The Gasan-Palgongsan Battle was fought to defend the eastern flank of the Nakdong River defense line. From August 30 to September 22, 1950, the Republic of Korea Army's 1st Division blocked the offensive of the North Korean 1st Division, which was attempting to advance southward toward Daegu in the Chilgok area.

The deceased was killed in action at the age of 27 on September 19, 1950, just two weeks after his officer commission.

Based on his combat achievements, he was awarded the Silver Star Hwarang Military Merit Medal on October 25, 1954, but it had not been delivered to his family. On this day, during the "Return of the National Hero" event, the National Excavation Team explained the veteran’s participation and the excavation process to the family and presented the military merit medal along with the identity confirmation notice.

Kim Chang-sik, the deceased’s grandnephew, said, "It is heartbreaking that my uncle, who never married in his prime youth, lived through exile during the Japanese colonial period and fought in the Korean War after liberation, ultimately dying in battle. We want to properly bury my uncle’s remains, which my late father longed for so much, in the National Cemetery."

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