FALLEN HEROES REMAIN UNDISCOVERED NEAR DMZ

[Anchor Lead]

Soldiers dedicated their lives in fierce battles during the 3 year long Korean War, but over 122-thousand South Korean fallen heroes are still unaccounted for. Despite continued efforts, progress is slow in joint inter-Korean excavation efforts in the demilitarized zone where the largest number of war dead are believed to be buried. How long will it take for the fallen heroes to reunite with their family? Let's take a look

[Pkg]

​The tragic conflict started out with North Korean gunfire. Some 137-thousand soldiers died in the war, defending their families and the country. Private first class Gyeong Chang-ho who was killed in the battle at Baekma Goji, the fiercest of all, has still not been returned to his family after 70 years. His daughter who was separated from her father as soon as she was born is now approaching 70 years of age. But her father's remains have yet to be located.

[Soundbite] GYEONG YONG-EE(FAMILY OF MISSING IN ACTION) : "I go to Hyeonchung-mun Gate and pay a silent tribute at the wall where my father's name is inscribed. That's all I can do. I wish we can find the body."

It's been 20 years since excavation work first began with the aim to find every single fallen soldier to the very end. Around ten-thousand-500 sets of remains have been discovered so far but only about 140 of them have been reunited with family through DNA testing. Even worse, 122-thousand soldiers are still missing. This is because their battlegrounds were either in North Korea or on South Korean land that has undergone development. Fortunately since 2018, in line with an inter-Korean agreement, excavation efforts have been under way in the DMZ where the largest number of remains are believed to be buried.

[Soundbite] "(S. Korean side: Who is the person in charge?) N. Korean side: The official is on his way."

But with uncertain cross-border relations... There's no way of knowing when the project may come to a halt.

[Soundbite] HEO WUK-GU(WAR REMAINS EXCAVATION TEAM, DEFENSE MINISTRY) : "If inter-Korean relations improve and excavation work can expand to areas other than Arrowhead Hill, that would be a significant opportunity to find more soldiers that were unaccounted for."

70 years have passed since the outbreak of the Korean War but the fallen heroes will never be forgotten. A Taegeuk design badge, some 120-thousand of them, has been made to remember the unreturned warriors. Excavations will continue until all the badges can be accounted for.