S. Korea identifies remains of another Korean War soldier

South Korea has identified the remains of a soldier killed in the 1950-53 Korean War through DNA analysis after they were recovered from a former battle site, the defense ministry said Tuesday.

The identification of the remains of Ssg. Ban Cheol-hwan was possible as his 70-year-old daughter, Ban Gyeong-ah, registered her DNA sample with the government last month, according to the ministry. Ban's remains were excavated in the northeastern county of Inje in 2016.

The identification marks the 158th such case since South Korea began excavating remains in 2000 to find soldiers who died during the war.

The staff sergeant died in August 1951, just days after his second daughter was born, the ministry said.

Around 140,000 South Korean troops were killed in action, and some 450,000 others were injured during the three-year war. The number of fallen South Korean troops whose remains have yet to be recovered stands at around 123,000.

The ministry said it will hold a ceremony to mark Ban's return and lay his remains at a national cemetery. (Yonhap)