South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-moo said at the ceremony that the handover of the remains of Chinese soldiers will become an important foothold for the future-oriented development of the South Korea-China relations as it symbolizes friendly cooperation and trust between the two countries.

Song said the transfer was a good example for people of South Korea and China being a heartfelt, genuine neighbor and friend.

It was the first time that South Korea's defense chief attended the handover ceremony.

The Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) fought alongside the Democratic People's Republic of Korea army in the Korean War against the South Korean army and US-led UN forces between 1950 and 1953.

Almost 200,000 CPV soldiers have been confirmed to have been killed in the war, with most of them buried on the Korean Peninsula.