REMAINS OF KOREAN WAR SOLDIER IDENTIFIED

[Anchor Lead]

The remains of a Korean soldier who was killed during the Korean War have been returned to his family ten years after discovery. Authorities could not identify the remains at the time with available technologies but advances in genetic testing methods made over the past decade it possible to find the son of the soldier who died 68 years ago.

[Pkg]

The remains of a father who went to fight in war in 1951 have belatedly returned home.

[Soundbite] "This notification is delivered as a DNA comparison proves the biological father and son relationship."

The late Kim Yeong-in signed up with the Army's guerrilla unit to fight in the Korean War at age 28. He was killed in action, but his body could not be found. Even when his remains were discovered in 2009, available technology at the time was insufficient in determining the remains. But now, the late soldier's remains have been identified.

[Soundbite] KIM HAE-SU(THE LATE KIM'S SON) : "My painful past seems to be washed away."

Four brothers had to suffer through long years with their widowed mother. The only memento they had of their father was a faded photograph.

[Soundbite] KIM HAE-SU(THE LATE KIM'S SON) : "I was overjoyed at the news. I felt as if the world was mine. I burst into tears at the thought of my mother."

The Ministry of National Defense has been retesting the DNAs of the remains excavated before 2013 with higher odds of identification. Advances in DNA testing method over the years have boosted the likelihood of identification.

[Soundbite] HEO WOOK-GU(MND AGENCY FOR KIA RECOVERY & IDENTIFICATION) : "We retested the remains of 50 soldiers and identified two sets. The late Kim Yeong-in was the first one to be identified."

The Defense Ministry plans to continue identifying the rest of the remains and asked the families of the deceased to readily take part in DNA sampling.