Korean and Chinese officials attend an event casketing remains of Chinese troops killed during the 1950-53 Korean War at a temporary facility in Incheon, west of Seoul, on Sept. 15. Yonhap

South Korea on Friday handed over to China 88 sets of the remains of Chinese troops killed during the 1950-53 Korean War in the ninth such repatriation, Seoul's defense ministry said.

South Korea's Vice Foreign Minister Lee Do-hoon, Chinese Vice Minister of Veterans Affairs Chang Zhenggu and other key officials attended the event at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul.

The remains were excavated from former battle sites between 2019 and 2021, including 51 sets from the Arrowhead Ridge inside the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas, the ministry said. The rest were retrieved from other parts of the country.

Seoul has repatriated 913 sets of the remains of Chinese troops, including the latest ones, since 2014, when the two countries agreed on the repatriation project.

Lee portrayed the repatriation ceremony as a "humanitarian event symbolizing the two countries' friendly cooperation," according to the ministry.

This year's event gained greater attention, as Seoul and Beijing mark the 30th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral diplomatic ties this year.

The war broke out as the North, backed by China and the then Soviet Union, invaded the South. It ended in a truce rather than a peace treaty, leaving the two Koreas technically at war. (Yonhap)