20 martyrs' remains to return to China from ROK

BEIJING -- Remains of 20 Chinese soldiers killed in the 1950-53 Korean War will be returned to China from the Republic of Korea (ROK) on March 22, 2017, according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs Monday.

It will be the fourth batch returned following a handover agreement signed by the two countries. From 2014 to 2016, remains of 541 soldiers were returned to China from the ROK, the ministry said.

Before the remains are returned, a ceremony will be held on March 20.

The Chinese side expressed thanks to the ROK defense ministry for its efforts in finding and identifying the remains of Chinese soldiers, according to the ministry.

The ROK will return more remains if found, the ministry added.

The Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) fought with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea army in the Korean War against the ROK army and U.S.-led UN forces.

A total of 197,653 CPV soldiers have been confirmed killed in the war, with most buried on the Korean Peninsula.

According to an agreement between China and the ROK, the two sides consult every year on the hand-over of remains of Chinese soldiers found in the ROK. A hand-over is usually held before Chinese Tomb-Sweeping Day in early April.