Seoul confirms existence of mass burial site for UN forces in North Korean city



News Seoul confirms existence of mass burial site for UN forces in North Korean city Unification ministry says defectors testified about Korean War graves, a finding that could support remains recovery Jeongmin Kim \| Lina Park February 21, 2024 SHARE COPY LINK FACEBOOK X LINKEDIN MASTODON Apparent graves in Kaechon, North Korea \| Image: Google Earth (Nov. 13, 2022) South Korea’s unification ministry has identified a previously unknown gravesite in North Korea where hundreds of U.N. forces who died during the Korean War are likely buried, a finding that could support future efforts to recover soldiers’ remains. The ministry confirmed to NK News that it investigated the possibility of mass graves in the city of Kaechon, north of Pyongyang, interviewing around 50 defectors earlier this year. “Five of them unanimously testified that they have heard about a mass gravesite there for U.N. troops remains,” the ministry told NK News. The confirmation comes after South Korean broadcaster KBSreported © Korea Risk Group. All rights reserved. No part of this content may be reproduced, distributed, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from Korea Risk Group. Get the Daily Update & Podcast Updates Start your day with the North Korea stories that matter most – as selected by Trending

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Seoul confirms existence of mass burial site for UN forces in North Korean city

Unification ministry says defectors testified about Korean War graves, a finding that could support remains recovery

Jeongmin Kim | Lina Park February 21, 2024

Seoul confirms existence of mass burial site for UN forces in North Korean city

Apparent graves in Kaechon, North Korea | Image: Google Earth (Nov. 13, 2022)

South Korea’s unification ministry has identified a previously unknown gravesite in North Korea where hundreds of U.N. forces who died during the Korean War are likely buried, a finding that could support future efforts to recover soldiers’ remains.

The ministry confirmed to NK News that it investigated the possibility of mass graves in the city of Kaechon, north of Pyongyang, interviewing around 50 defectors earlier this year.

“Five of them unanimously testified that they have heard about a mass gravesite there for U.N. troops remains,” the ministry told NK News.

The confirmation comes after South Korean broadcaster KBSreported

About the Authors

Jeongmin Kim

Jeongmin Kim is Executive Director at Korea Risk Group, based in Seoul. She covers inter-Korean relations and North and South Korean foreign and military affairs. Kim has covered the 2022 ROK presidential election on the ground, and prior to joining NK News, she worked for the CSIS Korea Chair in Washington D.C. and Reuters news agency’s Seoul bureau.

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Lina Park

Lina Park is the Digital Communications and Events Manager at Korea Risk Group. She previously worked at the Business and Finance desk of The Korea Herald and as a news trainee at NK News. Her past research experience includes work on North Korean human rights at HanVoice and South Korea’s foreign relations at the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada.

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