I don’t know if the timing of this ceremony is coincidence or not considering ongoing negotiations for the return of Korean War remains, but this ceremony does show the importance of the return of remains to the US military and surviving family members:
A ceremony is held at the Seoul National Cemetery in the capital on July 13, 2018, for the return of remains of Korean and American soldiers killed in the 1950-53 Korean War in this press pool photo. The remained were retrieved in North and South Korea, respectively, through a joint search project by the U.S. and the North. (Yonhap)
The United States and South Korea held a ceremony on Friday to return home the remains of two servicemen killed during the 1950-53 Korean War.
Seoul’s Defense Ministry said the remains of an unidentified allied soldier, presumably American, found in South Korea in 2016, will be sent to the United States. Meanwhile, the U.S. military has brought to Seoul the remains of a South Korean soldier found in North Korea in 2001 during a joint search between the United States and North Korea.
Friday’s ceremony in Seoul was attended by U.S. Forces Korea Commander Vincent Brooks, South Korea’s Defense Minister Song Young-moo and relatives of South Korean soldier Yun Gyeong-hyeok, who received his remains. [Washington Post]
