Remains of 117 Chinese Korean War soldiers return homeland

A ceremony being held at Shenyang Taoxian International Airport to welcome back the remains of 117 Chinese soldiers killed in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-53), Shenyang, capital of northeast China's Liaoning Province, September 27, 2020. /CGTＮ

The remains of 117 Chinese soldiers killed in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-53), arrived at Shenyang Taoxian International Airport in Shenyang, capital of northeast China's Liaoning Province on Sunday.

Earlier in the day, the Republic of Korea (ROK) handed over the remains in a ceremony held at the Incheon International Airport in Seoul.

Later on, a ceremony was held at the airport in Shenyang to welcome back the remains. Chinese Vice Premier Sun Chunlan attended the ceremony along with other officials and paid tribute to the remains of soldiers on behalf of the CPC Central Committee. China has never forgotten its fallen heroes and the contributions they made, Sun said while delivering a speech.

Chinese people always remember the fighting spirit of defending the motherland, and China will remember the past and cherish peaceful international environment, Sun added. 

The remains will be buried in a "martyrs' park" in Shenyang, which also houses the remains of 599 soldiers sent back from the ROK since 2014. 

This is the seventh transfer of this kind since 2014, and the most since 2015. This year's transfer was originally scheduled to take place around March and April, but was delayed due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

The Chinese People's Volunteers fought alongside the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) army in the Korean War against the U.S.-led troops between 1950 and 1953.