The remains of dozens of South Korean soldiers killed during the Korean War have been repatriated from the U.S. 

President Moon Jae-in presided over a repatriation ceremony at the Seoul Air Base, south of Seoul, on Thursday night arranged for the 68 sets of remains arriving from Honolulu, Hawaii. 

The event was held immediately after Moon returned from a five-day trip to the U.S. to attend the United Nations General Assembly, where he reiterated a call for a formal end to the Korean War. 

Eight bereaved family members of two identified soldiers — privates first class Kim Seok-joo and Jung Hwan-jo — were among some 20 attendees, along with the president, First Lady Kim Jung-sook, Defense Minister Suh Wook and other top military commanders. 

Patriots and Veterans Affairs Minister Hwang Ki-chul and Presidential Chief of Staff You Young-min also attended the ceremony, which the top office said was held with the highest level of courtesy for the war remains. 

The remains will be enshrined at the Seoul National Cemetery.