Seoul: The military has resumed a project to excavate the remains of South Korean soldiers killed during the 1950-53 Korean War at a former battlefield in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) as part of efforts to ease inter-Korean military tension, the defense ministry said. This initiative is aligned with the Lee Jae Myung government's efforts to mend frayed ties with North Korea, which includes measures like dismantling loudspeakers used for propaganda broadcasts along the border.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the government is also focused on restoring an inter-Korean military tension reduction pact that had been suspended under the previous administration due to North Korea's trash balloon campaign last year. The defense ministry announced the resumption of the excavation at White Horse Ridge in Cheorwon, Gangwon Province, a project halted in 2022. This is part of broader efforts to return the remains of soldiers killed in the Korean War to their families and to transform the DMZ into a zone of peace.
Previously, under a military tension reduction accord signed in 2018, both Seoul and Pyongyang had agreed to a joint initiative to retrieve the remains of soldiers from former battlefields within the DMZ. While South Korea began work in 2019 at Arrowhead Ridge and later expanded to White Horse Ridge, the project was suspended in November 2022 due to safety concerns linked to deteriorating inter-Korean relations. Notably, North Korea has not responded to calls for joint participation in this effort.
Through excavation efforts at Arrowhead Ridge and White Horse Ridge, the military has successfully retrieved the remains of 424 soldiers and 67 soldiers, respectively. These sites were among the fiercest battlefields during the conflict, with substantial casualties reported.
The U.S.-led U.N. Command (UNC), responsible for overseeing activities within the DMZ, has expressed support for the project's resumption. In a statement, the UNC described the resumption of remains recovery operations as a significant risk-reduction initiative, reflecting ongoing cooperation between the UNC and the Republic of Korea military. This cooperation extends to Armistice implementation and tension reduction measures.