[KVOLUTION]

By Kim Se-jeong
Staff Reporter

On the eve of Memorial Day, first lady Kim Yoon-ok consoled the mother of a fallen Korean War soldier whose body was never found.

Having read the story of Kim Un-yeon, 105, in the Korea Defense Daily, the first lady visited her at the Seoul Hyo Hospital, a medical facility for the elderly where she was hospitalized, and told her, ``I wanted to come to support you. Especially, the fact that you didn't move in case your son returned was heartwarming.''

The last time Kim saw her son Lee Gap-song was in the winter of 1950, months after the outbreak of the Korean War. He was drafted to fight in the 28th regiment of the Ninth Army, leaving his mother and a six-month old baby in his wife's womb.

``One cold day, Gap-song came up to me crying, and said, `Mom, I will be back,' I asked where he was going, and he said, `look what I am wearing.' That was it," the mother told the Defense Daily reporter during an interview.

According to government records, Gap-song was killed on Dec. 1, 1950 at either Daedoon Mountain or the Hyun-ri battles.

The family was told later that he was killed in action, but his body was not returned.

She kept saying ``I am sorry, my sweetie," the Defense Daily reported.

Her husband passed away not long after he was informed of the tragic death of his son.

What's left is a memorial tablet with the number 13-3-065 at the Seoul National Cemetery.

The mother recently gave a blood sample to see if her DNA was a match for any of the bodies of soldiers that have been recovered in a project spearheaded by the Agency for the Killed in Action Recovery and Identification under the Ministry of National Defense.

Yoo Young-seung, a public relations officer told The Korea Times that Kim Un-yeon is one of nearly 7,900 family members who have given blood samples.

Starting in 2000, the agency's recovery campaign has unearthed 3,500 bodies of people believed to have been killed during the war.

According to government statistics, nearly 160,000 South Korean soldiers were estimated to have fallen during the three-year war, among which only 20,000 bodies were identified and enshrined.

Yoo encourages families of the fallen and missing soldiers to visit the agency to get blood samples registered.

``The more records that are kept, the higher the chance for finding the remains will be," he said.

First lady Kim put a carnation on Kim's blouse, assuring her that the government will find her son's body and return it.

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