Seoul: The government on Monday held a joint enshrinement ceremony for the remains of 141 unidentified soldiers killed during the 1950-53 Korean War. The ceremony took place at the Seoul National Cemetery in southern Seoul, presided over by Prime Minister Kim Min-seok and attended by Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back and other senior government and military officials.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the enshrined sets were excavated at 34 former Korean War battlefield sites across the country between March and November this year. Among them were 25 sets of remains excavated from White Horse Ridge in Cheorwon, Gangwon Province. This marks the first time in three years the government resumed the project on the South's side of the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas, starting in October.

Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, in his memorial speech, emphasized the government's commitment to identifying the remains and returning them to their families. He stated, "The government will do its best so that the identity of the last person is confirmed and they are returned to their family. The Republic of Korea will never forget the heroes who defended our nation."

Kim also highlighted the government's pledge to ensure fair compensation and treatment for veterans and their families while increasing cooperation with other countries to excavate the remains of soldiers who fought alongside South Korea under the U.N. flag.

The unidentified remains will be kept at the ministry's Agency for KIA Recovery and Identification based at the national cemetery until their identities are confirmed. Since the ministry launched the excavation project for Korean War remains in 2000, it has excavated approximately 11,000 sets of remains and confirmed the identities of 268 of them.