6·25전사자 유해발굴사업이 함의한 정신적 가치 연구

Abstract

This paper examines what it means to excavate fallen soldiers in the Korean War in the following three different ways: first, what is the meaning and result of the excavation; second, what is the underlined value of the excavation; third, what enables the excavation to make an appeal to the wide public. The following is the conclusion of the research. To begin with, the excavating remains of 130,000 fallen soldiers in the Korean War and burying them in Seoul National Cemetery is a government- led project for those who died gloriously for the country. Ever since the project started in 2001, it has excavated 2,800 remains and 52,000 items of fallen soldiers, thereby appeasing their souls and fulfilling wishes of many families to find them. Furthermore, with Collection of Locations on the Remains of Fallen Soldiers being published and the new building for “the Minstry of National Defense(MND) Agency for Killed in Actions(KIA) Recovery & Identification(ID)” being built, it has activated a systematic and scientific method to recover remains of soldiers. First, underlined spiritual value of the excavation project is that it will help people to develop trust on our government by proving them that the government will take full responsibility of those neglected fallen soldiers. Second, the disclosure of the whole recovery process will boost morals of those who are currently serving in the military by showing them that the process will be done with dignity. Third, the remains of fallen soldiers, stored with brutal memories of conditions caused by North Korea, will help people to realize what North Korea has done. Fourth, the effort to excavate fallen soldiers of the US will further strengthen the ROK-US Alliance by reminding the public how the ROK and the US have fought together defending the Peninsula from the communist invasion. In conclusion, through numerous exhibitions of the excavated articles, field trips arranged to visit Seoul National Cemetery and the new MND Agency for KIA Recovery & ID building, publicity on the media, and the utilization of accumulated video sandimages, the project has effectively made a wide appeal to the general public. Thus, in this present situation of over half of teenagers being ignorant of who had started Korean War, it is certain that the underlined spiritual values of the excavation project will be a turning point in fostering spiritual values among people.