South Korea launches annual excavation to recover remains of fallen soldiers of Korean War

South Korea began an annual project Monday to recover the remains of soldiers killed during the 1950-53 Korean War, the Seoul-based Yonhap News Agency reported.

This year's excavation is aimed at finding more than 220 missing service members, the Defense Ministry said.

Since the launch of the exercise in 2000, the remains of 11,469 South Korean soldiers and 37 UN troops that fought against North Korean and Chinese forces have been found.

For this year, the ministry seeks to excavate over 220 sets of remains, identify more than 25 sets of remains, and collect 12,000 DNA samples from family members of the fallen soldiers to help its identification efforts.

The ministry plans to mobilize 30 divisions and brigades for this year's excavation efforts set to take place at 34 former battle sites, including the northeastern county of Yanggu, through Nov. 28.

It has also begun a joint five-week excavation project with US officials to search for the remains of American troops killed during the war.