South Korea will for the first time take part in a U.S.-led operation to recover remains of Koreans conscripted during World War II in the Pacific, the Interior Ministry said Thursday. 

Officials will join the U.S. Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) in a five-day excavation beginning Aug. 25 in Rabaul, Papua New Guinea, where 107 Koreans are known to have perished. 

The mission follows a 2023 memorandum of understanding between Seoul and Washington on cooperation in recovering and identifying war victims. 

A three-member Korean team from the ministry, the National Forensic Service and civilian experts will observe the DPAA’s methods to build expertise for future joint projects. 

Since 2019, Seoul has conducted DNA testing on samples provided by DPAA, enabling the 2023 repatriation of the remains of Choi Byung-yeon, a conscripted victim. 

Vice Minister Kim Min-jae said the government “will do its utmost to bring home even one more victim of forced conscription,” calling the project a milestone in addressing historical wrongs.