400 dead Chinese soldiers from Korean war set to return home for permanent burial

New Delhi: Souls of around 400 dead Chinese soldiers of 1950-53 Korean war may be resting in peace now as their remains will finally be returned to China for burial. China fought alongside North Korea in the war.The war was primarily the result of the political division of Korea by an agreement of the victorious Allies at the conclusion of the Pacific War at the end of World War II.South Korea was supported by United Nations and North Korea got the support of China and the Soviet Union.Casualty figures remain disputed, but Western estimates commonly cite a figure of 400,000 Chinese deaths, while Chinese sources put the toll at about 180,000.Much has changed in China-South Korea relations since the war ended in 1953. The two countries now share strategic partnerships in various sectors.The remains have lied in South Korea for over six decades.South Korea established a cemetery in 1996 to serve as the final resting place for North Korean and Chinese soldiers previously buried in small plots scattered around South Korea and now they have offered to return the remains.South Korean authorities carefully placed the remains into coffins on Monday after months of preparation and will return these to China ahead of the Tomb Sweeping Festival in early April, when the dead are commemorated.The move will be the first such return of Chinese soldiers' remains and South Korea has described the move as a milestone in relations between the former Cold War enemies.The cemetery holds more than 700 North Korean war dead too. Talks on returning the North Koreans have never made much progress.