SOKOR TROOPS FIND KOREAN WAR REMAINS AT DEMILITARIZED ZONE

South Korea has discovered 28 more bone fragments believed to be from troops killed in the 1950-1953 Korean War as well as thousands of artifacts inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) so far this year, the defense ministry said Tuesday, Yonhap News Agency reported.

The military resumed a demining and excavation operation on Arrowhead Ridge in Cheorwon, about 90 kilometers northeast of Seoul, on April 5, after months of hiatus during winter, to continue the project launched in 2019.

During the three-year war, around 140,000 South Korean troops were killed in action and about 450,000 others injured. Remains of around 10,000 fallen soldiers have yet to be retrieved, according to government data.

Over the past two months, the military has discovered 26 bone pieces from the ridge, one of the fiercest battlefields during the war. On the nearby White Horse Ridge, it found two additional bone fragments while carrying out preparatory work for the actual excavation in the second half, according to the ministry.

It also unearthed 9,633 articles believed to have been left by deceased service members, such as body armor, ammunition and a flashlight, along with two underground positions believed to be used during the war, it added.

This year's excavation work will continue through November, and the authorities have been carrying out a detailed examination and DNA analysis to identify the origins of the bone pieces and items.

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