The South Korean Defense Ministry on Friday held a joint enshrinement ceremony for the remains of over five hundred South Korean soldiers killed during the Korean War. 

Participants, including Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun, Defense Minister Suh Wook and Veterans Affairs Minister Park Sam-deuk, watched the remains contained in boxes laid to rest at Seoul National Cemetery. 

The remains are those of 367 soldiers excavated from around 40 sites of fierce battles during the 1950-1953 war, including Paju and Yeoncheon in Gyeonggi Province, and those of 147 soldiers repatriated from the U.S. in June. 

Among them, the remains of only eight servicemen have been identified so far. The ministry will continue the identification process of the other remains later. 

Since the launch of the ministry’s Korean War excavation project in 2000, the remains of around 10-thousand fallen South Korean soldiers have been unearthed, but the remains of over 120-thousand others presumed to be dead have yet to be collected.