Brothers Who Died in Korean War Buried Side by Side in National Cemetery After 73 Years

Brothers who died in the Korean War are buried side by side in the Cemetery of the National Cemetery 73 years after the outbreak of the war.

Today, the Ministry of National Defense held the burial of the late Private First Class Kim Bong-hak at the Seoul National Cemetery in the presence of the bereaved family and key government figures including President Yoon Seok-yeol.

Private Kim’s remains were buried right next to his younger brother, Private Kim Seong-hak, and the Ministry of National Defense named the two as “Brothers to Protect the Country.”

This is the third time that brothers who died in the Korean War were buried side by side at the National Cemetery, and it has been eight years since the remains of Sergeant Kang Young-man and Second Class Sergeant Kang Young-an were buried side by side in 2015.

The remains of Private First Class Kim Bong-hak were first discovered in Suribong, Wolun-ri, Yanggu-gun, Gangwon-do in 2011, and their identity was confirmed in 2021 after a detailed analysis of the family’s genetic samples.

Private First Class Kim died in September 1951 in the ‘Battle of the Bloody Neungseong’, a fierce battle between the 5th Division and the US 2nd Division to occupy the highlands around Suribong. .

Kim Seong-hwan, the youngest brother of the deceased, said, “It’s like a dream to be able to take care of the two older brothers who will be deeply missed even after death.”