A joint repatriation ceremony between the United States and the Republic of Korea (ROK) was formally convened on June 5, 2026. This solemn event served to further solidify the steadfast strategic partnership between the U.S. and the ROK.
The ceremony, the first mutual repatriation hosted on South Korean soil, served as a powerful testament to the unbreakable bond between the two nations. In a poignant address to the attendees, ROK leadership emphasized the sacred duty of both nations to bring their fallen heroes home.
"Over 70 years ago, there were heroes who dedicated their most passionate youth and noblest lives to defending the freedom and peace of the Republic of Korea," Lee Jae-myung, president of the Republic of Korea stated during the keynote address. "Thanks to the sublime sacrifice of those heroes, we were able to preserve our freedom and peace."
The event highlighted the ongoing, exhaustive efforts by both the U.S. Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) and South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense Agency for Killed-in-action Recovery and Identification (MAKRI). The 10 ROK soldiers were repatriated from the United States back to South Korea, while the three U.S. service members, recovered from the mountains and fields of the Korean peninsula, were honored before their final journey back to the United States.
Jennifer Walsh, principal deputy director of the DPAA, highlighted the institutional dedication driving the mission.
"This joint repatriation ceremony honors a fundamental principle and commitment to our personnel — those who have served, are serving and will serve in defense of our nations; their families, and our values," Walsh said. "We honor the heroes who gave the ultimate sacrifice, and the personnel dedicated to finding and recovering our fallen. The U.S.-ROK alliance remains strong; and strengthened further through our shared efforts to bring home these heroes, evidenced clearly in this ceremony."
The profound emotional weight of the ceremony was echoed by U.S. military leadership, who framed the recovery efforts not merely as a procedural duty, but as a sacred vow. General Xavier T. Brunson, Commander of United Nations Command, Combined Forces Command, and United States Forces Korea, addressed the gathered allies.
"We gather today in the presence of 13 heroes, three American and 10 Republic of Korea service members. We do not yet know their names, but we know who they are. They are brothers in arms. And today, they’re finally coming home." Gen. Brunson remarked, thanking the Republic of Korea for its "sacred devotion" and noting that even after seven decades, Korea has never forgotten.
Referring to Korean War historian T. R. Fehrenbach’s observation of the bitterness of leaving soldiers behind on abandoned hills, Brunson reflected on the gravity of the moment.
"For over 70 years, those hills held our brothers. But the return of these 13 heroes is a testament to an unbreakable promise that outlasts the bitterness of war,” said Brunson. “It is a promise made real by their tireless partnership between our nations."
"Because of your dedication to completing this mission, 13 souls are no longer lost to history," Brunson added. "But the ceremony serves as a message to all who wear the uniform: we do not leave our fallen behind. The United States and Republic of Korea will continue this mission until every single missing in action is accounted for. To these 13 brave souls: your watch is over. May you rest in eternal peace. Thank you."
The ROK leadership mirrored this sentiment, drawing a direct line between the defense of the peninsula in the 1950s and South Korea's emergence as a global economic powerhouse.
"The effort to locate and return not only our own soldiers but also those of our allies to their families is the most fervent proof of the ROK-U.S. Alliance forged in blood," the president of the Republic of Korea affirmed, pledging to the fallen and to the future: "A nation that remembers sacrifices made for all has a future, and a community that repays their dedication will become even stronger. We will build a responsible Republic of Korea that repays extraordinary sacrifices with special honors and never forgets a single hero."