This file photo, provided by the South Korean Air Force, shows South African Air Force troops deployed to the 1950-53 Korean War. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, March 24 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea launched a project Monday to excavate the remains of a presumed South African pilot killed during the 1950-53 Korean War, Seoul’s defense ministry said.
The project, which runs through April 11, aims to find the remains of a South African Air Force pilot presumed to have been killed in August 1953, when a U.S. North American F-86 Sabre crashed off Seosan, about 100 kilometers southwest of Seoul, according to the ministry.
The pilot attempted to eject himself from the fighter jet that underwent a system malfunction. He was classified as missing after authorities failed to detect him, although his parachute was found in nearby waters.
The ministry said it launched the project following an on-site probe at an island in Seosan, where local residents testified that a U.S. fighter jet crashed in the area.
In a follow-up move, the ministry requested the U.S. Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency for relevant data and found evidence lending support to the case, it said.
Last month, the ministry also requested cooperation from the South African Embassy in Seoul on potential DNA tests that could take place should the remains be found.
South Africa deployed 826 soldiers to the Korean War, who fought under the U.N. flag. Of them, 37 died during the three-year war while 24 went missing.
(Yonhap)
