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South Korea receives remains of four Turkish soldiers killed during Korean War

Published: 21 Aug. 2025, 19:15

This photo, provided by the Defense Ministry on Aug. 21, shows troops carrying the remains of four Turkish soldiers who died during the 1950-53 Korean War at a reception ceremony in southern Seoul. [YONHAP]

South Korea on Thursday received the remains of four soldiers presumed to be Turkish nationals who were killed while fighting in the 1950-53 Korean War after their return from the United States, the defense ministry said.

The remains were sent to the South via the United Nations Command earlier in the day after they were transported to a U.S. military base in South Korea from Hawaii last week, according to the ministry.

Three of the remains were found in North Korea between 1996 and 2005 as part of a joint recovery operation by the U.S. and the North. The other remains were buried at a cemetery in Hawaii after being repatriated in war remains exchanges between U.N. troops and the North.

They were initially believed to be those of U.S. troops or unidentified but were later recognized as those presumed to be Turkish soldiers.

The ministry's Agency for KIA (Killed in Action) Recovery and Identification said it will closely examine the war remains and repatriate them to the fallen troops' home country or bury them at the U.N. Memorial Cemetery in the southeastern city of Busan.

Yonhap