he remains of 12 South Korean soldiers killed in the North during the Korean War 60 years ago have been repatriated. According to officials, it is the first time bodies recovered in the North have been sent home since the 1953 armistice. The remains which arrived from the United States, were among about 200 bodies found by an American excavation team which worked in the North between 2000 and 2004.

The soldiers were killed during a key battle for a reservoir early in the Korean War, when they were outnumbered one by Chinese troops. An estimated 30,000 to 40,000 South Korean soldiers are still buried in the North.