ROK returns body of DPRK soldier

SEOUL - The Republic of Korea on Wednesday sent the body of a Democratic People's Republic of Korea soldier back to his homeland through the truce village of Panmunjom, Yonhap news agency quoted the defense ministry as saying.

The United Nations Command (UNC) returned the body, which was swept across the border by flood a month ago, to officials of the DPRK at the truce village at around 10 am local time, Yonhap reported.

The ROK found the body on July 31 near the Peace Dam in Gangwon province, south of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that separates the two Koreas.

The UNC last week communicated with the DPRK through a loudspeaker at Panmunjom to settle the delivery, a ministry official was quoted by Yonhap as saying.

Seoul and Pyongyang have made it a rule to return the bodies of each other's citizens. The ROK has returned 10 bodies of DPRK soldiers since 2007, according to the report.