How DNA Testing Uncovered the Identity of a Fallen Korean War Hero: A Family’s Journey

Private Choi Baek-in, who fell defending the Nakdong River line during the Korean War, has finally returned to his family after 76 years.

The Ministry of National Defense’s Recovery and Identification Unit (RIU) confirmed the identity of remains excavated in April 2007 near Unju Mountain in Yeongcheon, North Gyeongsang Province. On February 10, they held a homecoming ceremony for the fallen hero at the residence of his younger sister, 84-year-old Choi Gil-ja.

This marks the 269th successful identification since the Korean War remains recovery project began in April 2000.

Born in 1930 in Jeonju as the eldest of six siblings, Private Choi was killed in action during the Battle of Yeongcheon against North Korean forces in September 1950.

The Battle of Yeongcheon saw the ROK Army’s 8th Division, along with regiments from the 1st and 6th Divisions, drive out the North Korean 15th Division from the Yeongcheon area. This victory secured the eastern Nakdong River front, foiled the North Korean push towards Daegu, and allowed UN forces to turn the tide of the war.

During the 2007 excavation, Choi’s thigh bone was initially identified along with 19 personal effects, including his uniform and combat boots. While DNA samples were collected in 2008, technological limitations prevented meaningful analysis at that time.

Identifying family members for DNA comparison proved challenging, as Choi was unmarried when he deployed.

In October 2021, Choi’s only surviving sibling, his sister Gil-ja, provided a DNA sample at the Jeonju Health Center. This sample, compared with those collected 13 years earlier, finally confirmed Choi’s identity.

Gil-ja shared her emotional journey: “Just days before the RIU contacted me, I dreamed of my brother and felt compelled to offer him a meal. I even bought chopsticks for him. When I got the call that they had found him, it felt surreal. I’m overjoyed that I can finally lay him to rest in the National Cemetery before I pass on myself.”

DNA sample collection is open to relatives up to 8th cousins on both sides of Korean War casualties’ families. Successful identifications result in a 10 million KRW (approximately 7,500 USD) reward.

The RIU conducts home visits for DNA collection from family members with limited mobility. For more information, call 1577-5625.