UN Command, South Korea honor remains of 2 soldiers killed in Korean War

Stars and Stripes ^ | July 13, 2018 | Kim Gamel

[2ndDivisionVet]

SEOUL, South Korea — With a 21-gun salute and the playing of taps, the U.S.-led United Nations Command and South Korea on Friday repatriated the remains of two soldiers found decades after they were killed in the Korean War.

It was a somber reminder of the importance both countries place on the return of lost troops amid hopes that North Korea will follow through on a commitment to return more war dead.

The North skipped a meeting planned Thursday in the Demilitarized Zone to discuss the issue, but State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said they had offered to meet Sunday instead.

The remains of the U.N. soldier honored Friday were found by South Korean search teams in 2016 in the Cheorwon area of Gangwon province, near the eastern border with the North. The soldier was not identified.

The South Korean soldier’s remains were found by the U.S. Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency in 2001 in Kaechon, North Korea. He was identified as Pvt. Yoon Kyung Hyeok, assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division as a Korean Augmentation to the United States.

Yoon’s family followed the casket, which was draped with a South Korean flag, as it was carried to a waiting hearse. The other casket was draped with a blue U.N. flag.

“We are gathered here to fulfill our solemn obligation to never forget those who have fallen in battle and those who have been listed as missing in action or prisoner of war,” UNC commander Gen. Vincent Brooks said during the ceremony....