The remains of a South Korean forcibly mobilized by the Japanese military during World War Two returned home on Sunday, 80 years after he was killed in a battle.

The interior ministry said that the remains of Choi Byeong-yeon, who was killed during a battle in Tarawa, Kiribati in 1943, arrived at Incheon International Airport on Sunday afternoon.

The remains were transported to Choi’s hometown of Yeonggwang, South Jeolla Province for burial. The government plans to hold a memorial ceremony for Choi in the county on Monday.

According to the U.S. Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA), more than one thousand Koreans forcibly conscripted by the Japanese military lost their lives during the battle.

The government identified Choi’s remains in collaboration with the DPAA in 2019, but was unable to repatriate them until now due to Kiribati's border closures during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Choi is thus far the only Korean identified from the Pacific battlefield.