Honor guards (right) on Sept. 27 hand over the remains of Chinese troops killed during the Korean War to Chinese soldiers for plane transport during a handover ceremony at Incheon International Airport. (Yonhap News)

By Kim Minji and Yoon Sojung

The remains of 117 Chinese soldiers killed in the Korean War were handed over to China on Sept. 27.

The remains included those of 103 soldiers unearthed last year by the Korean military at Arrowhead Ridge in Cheorwon-gun County, Gangwon-do Province.

The handover ceremony was held at Incheon International Airport with First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Choi Jong-kun and Chinese Vice Minister of Veterans Affairs Chang Zhengguo representing both sides.

Vice Minister Choi said, "I hope Korea-China relations can further develop through the ceremony to repatriate the remains," saying he hopes for Beijing's support and cooperation to achieve progress in the peace process on the Korean Peninsula.

This was the seventh such repatriation between Korea and China. In the previous six rounds, the remains of a combined 599 soldiers were handed over to China after the two sides in 2014 agreed on the repatriation under international law and humanitarian principles. 

After arriving at Shenyang Taoxian International Airport in China's Liaoning Province, the remains will be buried at a martyrs' cemetery in Shenyang.

kimmj7725@korea.kr