DNA breakthrough returns Korean War soldier home after 7 decades
In the scorched summer of 1950, as North Korean forces pushed deep down the Korean Peninsula, a 20-year-old soldier took his final stand on a rugged mountain ridge in Gunwi, a county located just north of the southeastern city of Daegu. A native of Miryang and the eldest of nine siblings, Pfc. Cho Cha-sang had enlisted just weeks earlier, stepping forward to defend a fledgling democracy in what…
In the sweltering summer of 1950, during the early stages of the Korean War, a 20-year-old soldier named Pfc. Cho Cha-sang made his final stand on a rugged mountain ridge in Gunwi, a county situated just north of Daegu. Born in Miryang and the eldest of nine siblings, Cho had enlisted just weeks prior, motivated to defend the nascent democracy.
He perished on August 14 amidst the tumult of a retreating front line, his body remaining on Mount Maebong. The sudden loss plunged Cho's family into a prolonged period of sorrow. Cho's mother endured the burden of this grief until her final days, instructing their youngest daughter, Cho Ok-ran, to locate her eldest brother's remains and bury him in a national cemetery.
This 76-year-old promise was finally honored on Thursday, as Cho Ok-ran witnessed the poignant homecoming ceremony at her younger sibling's residence in Gimhae. "When they told me they had found my brother’s remains, my heart trembled so hard I couldn’t sleep," said Cho Ok-ran.
Written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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- DNA breakthrough returns Korean War soldier home after 7 decades koreatimes.co.kr
