CHINA launched a major new DNA database today to help families identify loved ones who died fighting US forces during the 1950-53 Korean war.

“Helping martyrs seek relatives is a posture of the country and a commitment to soldiers. No matter where you are, the country has the responsibility to bring you home,” Lu Chao, director of the research unit which helped establish the database, said.

Beijing made the announcement as it commemorated the 71st anniversary of the Chinese People’s Volunteer Army entering the war to resist US-led aggression against its neighbour.

The initial mobilisation saw some 250,000 Chinese fight alongside Korean forces, with three million civilian and military personnel having served by the time the war ended in July 1953.

China and South Korea struck an agreement in 2014 to repatriate the remains of fallen Chinese soldiers to allow them a dignified burial in line with international law.

Last month, 109 sets of remains were placed in coffins and laid to rest, having been found in excavations in six regions of South Korea last year and the year before.

A total of 825 bodies have been returned since 2014, but a lack of descendants and the degradation of the remains has made it harder to match them with their relatives.

“The people’s respect for the heroes and martyrs should never change,” Mr Lu said.

China’s ambassador to North Korea joined a memorial ceremony beside Lake Changjin to commemorate those who lost their lives in one of the key battles of the war.

A blockbuster film about the events has smashed box office records in China, taking 516 million yuan (£58.7m) on its opening day earlier this month.