South Korea has identified the remains of three more troops killed in the 1950-53 Korean War following their excavation from former battle sites years ago, the defense ministry said Wednesday.

Using an advanced DNA analysis method, the ministry's excavation team recently identified the remains of Hong In-seop, Park Gi-seong and Kim Jae-gyu, which were recovered in 2009, 2015 and 2017, respectively.

During the conflict, Hong and Park held the ranks equivalent to the current corporal, while Kim held the same rank as the current sergeant.

Hong died during a battle in Chilgok, 280 kilometers south of Seoul, in August 1950, while Kim and Park died while fighting on Mount Baekseok in Yanggu, 175 km northeast of the capital, in September 1951 and the following month, respectively.

Since the ministry launched the excavation project in 2000, it has identified the remains of 188 South Korean troops. (Yonhap)