The remains of 147 South Korean soldiers killed in the Korean War will return home after about seven decades. 

The Defense Ministry said the remains will arrive at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam from Hawaii at around 4:50 p.m. on Wednesday on a South Korean Air Force aircraft.

According to the ministry, the remains are being repatriated to coincide with the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War on Thursday.

It said six Air Force fighters will be mobilized to provide air cover when the aircraft enters Korea's air defense identification zone in honor of the fallen soldiers. 

The remains are among those that had been sent to the U.S. after joint excavation from 1990 to 1994 and after the first summit between North Korea and the U.S. in 2018. 

Through two joint forensic reviews, South Korea and the U.S. identified 147 sets as those of South Korean soldiers.