Remains of martyrs to be returned to motherland

The remains of 30 Chinese soldiers who died during the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-53) are scheduled to be returned to China from South Korea on Friday, according to the Ministry of Veterans Affairs.

The ministry said in a brief news release on Tuesday that the latest repatriations are based on an agreement between itself and South Korea's Ministry of National Defense, noting the occasion will mark the 12th consecutive year of the handover of Chinese soldiers' remains between the two nations.

A high-level Chinese delegation, a group of honor guards from the People's Liberation Army and a Chinese Y-20 aircraft are set to arrive in South Korea on Wednesday to carry out the handover mission, the ministry said.

On Thursday, a ceremony will be held in the port city of Incheon, where the remains will be placed in Chinese caskets that will then be covered by Chinese flags. The handover documents will be signed at the ceremony.

By Friday, the remains will be officially handed over to the Chinese delegation at Incheon International Airport. Chinese personnel will then hold a memorial ceremony before escorting the remains back to China.

After the remains return to China, the government will organize grand ceremonies at the airport and cemetery to honor the fallen soldiers. Family members and war veterans will be invited to participate.

The soldiers will be buried at the Chinese People's Volunteers Martyrs' Cemetery in Shenyang, capital of Liaoning province.

Led by Peng Dehuai, commander-in-chief of the Chinese People's Volunteers, nearly 2.9 million Chinese soldiers fought in the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea. More than 197,000 Chinese soldiers and civilians recruited by the CPV died in combat.

South Korea began recovering the remains of fallen Chinese soldiers in 2000 and started returning them to China in 2014. To date, the two sides have conducted 11 handovers involving the remains and belongings of 981 CPV martyrs.