Chinese soldiers' remains in 437 caskets return more than 60 years after end of Korean War

BEIJING – The remains of 437 Chinese soldiers killed in the Korean War have returned home, more than 60 years after an armistice ended the fighting.

A Chinese plane carrying 437 caskets arrived in the Chinese city of Shenyang on Friday morning, following a handover ceremony at the Incheon International Airport in Seoul earlier between South Korea and China.

The repatriation became possible when South Korean President Park Geun-hye offered to send back the remains during a visit to China last June, a friendly gesture highlighting warming ties between the former combatants.

The remains had been buried on a quiet hillside just south of the border with North Korea, outside the city of Paju. Most of them have not been individually identified.