Korea, U.S. to cooperate in excavating remains of Korean forced laborers killed in Pacific War

The Korean government will join efforts with the United States to excavate the remains of Korean forced laborers killed during World War II.

Korea's Minister of Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min, center, and Director of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) Kelly McKeague, right, pose for a photo after signing an MOU in Hawaii on the excavation of the remains of soldiers killed in Pacific war zones on Wednesday. [YONHAP]

The Korean government will join efforts with the United States to excavate the remains of Korean forced laborers killed during World War II.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety said Thursday it signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Defense Prisoner of War/Missing In Action Accounting Agency (DPAA) on Wednesday to establish cooperation between Korea and the United States in the excavation and identification of remains of Korean victims forcibly mobilized during the 1941-45 Pacific War by the Japanese military.

The agreement will enable the Interior Ministry and the DPAA to participate in excavation investigations, share scientific information such as autopsy results and DNA samples, promote cooperation projects and facilitate professional and technical exchanges.

"The significance of this agreement lies in the expansion of the Korea-U.S. cooperation system, which was previously limited to sampling and genetic analysis, to include the excavation of remains," the ministry explained. "This allows Korea to participate directly in the excavation of remains in Pacific war zones."

According to the ministry, 5,407 forcibly mobilized Koreans were either killed or disappeared in Pacific war zones. The remains of one of them, Choi Byeong-yeon, who was killed during the Battle of Tarawa in 1943, were repatriated to Korea last year by the ministry in cooperation with the DPAA.

Prior to the signing ceremony, Interior Minister Lee Sang-min and DPAA Director Kelly McKeague discussed ways to expand Korea-U.S. cooperation in the excavation, identification and repatriation of the remains of Korean victims in the Pacific region. Lee also presented a plaque of appreciation to the DPAA for its dedication to these efforts.

BY SEO JI-EUN [seo.jieun1@joongang.co.kr]