China repatriated the remains of 12 soldiers killed in the Korean War today, transported by a military aircraft from South Korea as part of a bilateral agreement between the two countries.
A Xian Y-20B military aircraft landed in the city of Shenyang, in the northeast of the country, carrying the remains and 146 personal items, according to Chinese state media.
This is the 13th joint repatriation since 2014, bringing the total number of remains recovered under the agreement between Beijing and Seoul to 1,023.
The handover ceremony took place at Incheon International Airport in South Korea, where the coffins were draped with the Chinese flag and escorted with military honors.
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After entering Chinese airspace, the aircraft was accompanied by four Chengdu J-20 fighter jets in a symbolic escort. The remains will now be transferred to a martyrs’ cemetery in Shenyang, built in 1952 to house Chinese soldiers killed in the conflict.
More than two million Chinese combatants participated in the war in support of North Korea, according to official data, with about 197,600 killed, although Western estimates point to higher figures.
Most of the Chinese soldiers who died in the war remain buried in North Korean territory.
The conflict, known in China as the “War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea,” has gained new visibility in recent years amid tensions with Washington and through productions such as the film “The Battle at Lake Changjin,” one of the biggest box-office hits in the country.
