SEOUL, March 26 (Yonhap) -- South Korea and China held a joint ceremony Monday on repatriating the remains of 20 Chinese soldiers killed during the 1950-53 Korean War, a symbolic move that reflects Seoul's efforts for forward-looking relations with Beijing.
The remains were placed in caskets during the ritual hosted by Park Chul-kyun, deputy director general for international policy at South Korea's Ministry of National Defense, and Du Nongyi, military attaché at the Chinese Embassy in Seoul, according to the ministry. It was held in Incheon, west of Seoul, home to South Korea's main international airport.
The caskets, covered with the Chinese national flag, will be transported to China later this week.
This file photo shows a repatriation ceremony for Chinese soldiers' remains at Incheon International Airport on March 22, 2017. (Joint Press Corps-Yonhap)The official handover ceremony, slated for Wednesday, will be led by South Korea's Defense Minister Song Young-moo and Gao Xiaobing, China's vice minister of civil affairs.
Song has decided to host the ceremony in person to deliver the "positive message" of improving Seoul-Beijing ties in a forward-looking way and to express his gratitude for the Chinese authorities' cooperation on the repatriation project over the past five years, the ministry said.
China's Ministry of Civil Affairs has handled the work under a 2014 agreement between the neighboring countries. The veterans affairs office to be established will take over the work.
China fought alongside North Korea against South Korea, which was supported by U.N. forces.
South Korea transfered the remains of 569 Chinese troops back to their homeland between 2014 and 2017.
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