The number of Jeju soldiers drafted into the Korean War is estimated to be around 2,000. Over 1,300 soldiers are still classified as missing in action.

War veterans living in Jeju spoke about what they witnessed during the war to help find the remains.

Joseph Kim reports.

War veteran, Mr. (강수윤) Gang Su-yun, served in the Korean War when he was 19.

He dramatically escaped from a siege by the enemy on the battlefield.

Recording
Gang Su-yun / Korean War Veteran
My fellow soldiers and I escaped from the siege and were reorganized as a new unit. We successfully counterattacked the enemy. We were awarded the order of military merit.
<씽크:강수윤/6·25 참전용사>
"탈출해서 나와서 탈출한 사람들 다시 모여서 부대를 재편성해서 반격해서 그때 무공훈장 받았어요."

Mr. (문건유) Mun Geon-yu lost a fellow soldier in the battle in (강원) Gangwon Province.

Seven decades after the war, he still vividly remembers the horrible scenes back on the battlefield in the 1950s.

Mun Geon-yu / Korean War Veteran
Faces of killed soldiers became pale and white on rainy days, while they became dark and black when the weather was clear. We don’t know how many were killed.
<씽크:문건유/6·25 참전용사>
"비가 오면 사람 얼굴이 하얗다가 햇빛이 나면 새카맣고 (전사자들이?) 네. 숫자는 우리가 알 수 없고.."

Korean War veterans begin to testify to help find remains of fallen soldiers for the first time in Jeju.

[slug] 100 Korean War veterans testify in Jeju

About 100 war veterans among 1,600 living in Jeju began testifying to what they witnessed on the battlefield.

The excavation and identification team from the Ministry of National Defence records their testimony.

[slug] Recorded testimony to be used as basic data for excavation efforts

The testimony will be used as basic data for a selection of excavation sites and genetic identification.

[slug] Remains of 1,300 killed soldiers drafted from Jeju still MIA

The number of soldiers drafted from the island and killed during the war is estimated at 2,000. Remains of 1,300 soldiers have yet to be returned to their families.

[slug] DNA samples collected from 400 persons of bereaved families

DNA samples have been taken from about 400 persons of bereaved families for identification.

INTERVIEW
Han Sang-yong / Son of Korean War Veteran
I don’t know my father’s face. I’d never even had the chance to say ‘father’. I hope the remains of my father are discovered soon.
<인터뷰:한상용/유족>
"얼굴도 모르고 불러보지도 못한 아버지인데 정말 간절히 바라는 것은 정말 찾았으면 좋겠어요."

[slug] No additional discovery found since 2007

Meanwhile, there have been no additional remains of a fallen soldier drafted from the island since remains were discovered in (화천) Hwacheon, (강원) Gangwon Province in 2007.

[Reporter] Joseph Kim
[Camera] Hyeon Gwang-hoon

Bereaved families wish the testimony being made in Jeju for the first time to expedite the excavation project.

Joseph Kim, KCTV