For the families of the 43 Australian Servicemen who remain Missing In Action from the Korean War, efforts towards the location, recovery and identification of their loved ones remains an ongoing mission.
The Korean War Missing in Action (MIA) Working Group was established in 2015 as a collaborative initiative between the Australian Army’s Unrecovered War Casualties (UWC-A) unit, the Historical Unrecovered War Casualties – Air Force (HUWC-AF), and the Royal Australian Navy’s Sea Power Centre. This initiative followed representations to the Minister for Defence by Mr Ian Saunders OAM and RADM (Rtd) Ian Crawford AO, both of whom have been tireless advocates for the families of the Korean War MIAs.
The Working Group brings together:
Four family representatives: Ian Saunders, Jill Talty, Julie Dorrington, and Derek Luxford
Representatives from the Australian Army, Air Force and Navy
Veteran organisations, including KVAA, Brigadier Stephen Dunn (RAR Association), and RADM (Rtd) Ian Crawford (Australian Council of Korean War Veterans)
International representation, including Colonel Kim, Defence Attaché from the Republic of Korea
The Committee is co-chaired by Dr Aaron Pegram (UWC-A) and Group Captain Grant Kelly (HUWC-AF).
The primary role of the Working Group is to provide a structured forum for the families of Australia’s Korean War MIAs to engage directly with Defence. These biannual meetings, held in Canberra, serve to:
Share updates on search and recovery efforts for the 43 Australians still missing from the Korean War, including engagement with the US Defense Personnel Accounting Agency (DPAA) and the Republic Of Korea’s Ministry of National Defense for Killed In Action Recovery (MAKRI).
Report on broader Defence efforts concerning MIAs from World War I and World War II.
Offer families the opportunity to contribute DNA samples, which may assist in future identifications.
Meeting minutes are circulated to all MIA families and are publicly available on the UWC-A Korean War Project website, which also includes a full list of the Australian Korean War MIAs.
In recent years, family representatives have undertaken official visits to the forensic laboratories of both DPAA in Hawaii and MAKRI in the Republic of Korea. Engagement with DPAA and MAKRI is underpinned by formal Memoranda of Understanding, established at the initiative of the Working Group
While access to many last known locations, mostly within the DMZ or North Korea, remains restricted due to current geopolitical conditions, the Working Group remains committed to all possible avenues of investigation, and hopeful that the situation on the Korean Peninsula will improve to enable dialogue to occur. Its long-term goal is to be fully prepared to resume recovery efforts as soon as circumstances permit.
The Korea Veterans Association of Australia is proud to support and share the work of this dedicated group, honouring those who remain missing and supporting the families who continue to wait for answers.
