South Korea resumed excavations for Korean War remains at a major battle site inside the demilitarized zone (DMZ) on Wednesday, with North Korea once again refraining from participating.

Seoul’s Defense Ministry said soldiers have started recovery operations at White Horse Hill (백마고지) along the central part of the inter-Korean border, part of a yearlong campaign to find and identify remains at front-line battlefields.

The Battle of White Horse Hill was a brutal confrontationduring the 1950-53 Korean War, where a South Korean infantry division clashed with Chinese forces in the Cheorwon region. Over 12 intense rounds of fighting, control of