On December 15, the Ministry of National Defense held a joint enshrinement ceremony for 141 remains of Korean War soldiers discovered in 2025 at the Seoul National Cemetery, presided over by Prime Minister Kim Min-seok. The ceremony was attended by key figures including the Minister of National Defense, the Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, the Chiefs of Staff of the Army, Navy, and Air Force, the Commandant of the Marine Corps, and the Acting Commissioner General of the National Police Agency.
The joint enshrinement ceremony temporarily enshrines remains whose identities have not yet been confirmed until their families are found. The 141 remains discovered this year have not yet been identified. The excavation took place from March to the end of November in 34 areas, including Cheorwon and Inje in Gangwon Province, Paju, Pocheon, and Yeoncheon in Gyeonggi Province, and Chilgok and Pohang in North Gyeongsang Province.
Despite difficult conditions, the Ministry of National Defense’s excavation team and soldiers from 30 battalion-level units recovered 141 remains. Notably, the excavation of Baengma-goji in the Demilitarized Zone, which was suspended in 2022, was resumed, recovering 25 remains. After the joint enshrinement ceremony, the unidentified remains will be stored at the Ministry of National Defense’s excavation team’s storage facility.
The excavation project for Korean War remains began in 2000 as part of the 50th anniversary commemoration of the Korean War. To date, a total of 11,000 remains of Korean soldiers have been recovered, with 268 identified and returned to their families. The Ministry of National Defense will continue its efforts to increase the excavation and identification rates.