Remains of Chinese Soldiers: 10 sets of remains return to home soil

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03:14

As part of a consensus reached by China and South Korea in 2013, the remains of Chinese Volunteer soldiers who served in the Korean War have been returned to China in time for Tomb-Sweeping Day. CGTN's GUAN YANG was at Shenyang Taoxian International Airport, to see the soldiers finally come home.

The plane escorted home by fighter jets. On board, the remains of 10 fallen Chinese volunteer soldiers were given the highest honor by the People's Liberation Army.

It's been 66 years since the Korean armistice agreement was signed. Now, they are finally home.

GUAN YANG SHENYANG TAOXIAN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT "After being returned to home soil, the coffins will be covered by Chinese national flags and transferred to the martyrs cemetery in Shenyang for burial. That way, a proper goodbye can be said to these 10 fallen soldiers."

For 86-year-old veteran Jin Donghui, only 8 of his comrades-in-arms are resting in peace at Shenyang's martyrs cemetery. Each year before the annual tomb sweeping day, he makes a 2 hour journey by bus to the cemetery.

JIN DONGHUI, VETERAN MARTYRS CEMETERY OF CHINESE VOLUNTEER SOLDIERS, SHENYANG "The majority of fallen soldiers were buried among the battlefields. For their families and relatives, their deaths have been a mystery. I remember after the famous Yunshan battle in 1950, most of my fellow soldiers were buried in the DPRK."

599 sets of remains have been returned by South Korea, including this batch. The latest statistics show that nearly 200 thousand soldiers from the Chinese Volunteer Army died during the War, but only 2 or 3 percent of them are buried in China. LU CHAO, an expert on Korean studies says the repatriations are on humanitarian grounds.

LU CHAO, KOREAN STUDIES EXPERT LIAONING ACADEMY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES "Both China and South Korea respect each other's standpoints about the past. For instance, we call it the war to resist US aggression and aid Korea, whereas South Korea refers to it as the Korean war. I think what really matters from today's perspective is to understand how precious peace is."

As part of a government reshuffle, the Ministry of Veterans Affairs was formed last year to protect the legitimate rights and interests of military personnel and their families. And this is their first time being in charge of the return.

LI LIANSHENG, DIVISION CHIEF OF COMMEMORATION OFFICE LIAONING BUREAU, MINISTRY OF VETERANS AFFAIRS "We will utilize the resources we have on the Internet and with the media to help finding the relatives of the veterans whose remains have been returned, 24 names of the remains have already been posted on-line."

66 years since the armistice, the legacy of the war still hangs over the Korean Peninsula and still leaves a lasting impact on the region. If peace is worth dying for, many say it should also be worth living for. GUAN YANG, CGTN.