South Korea on Friday repatriated the remains of 88 Chinese soldiers killed during the Korean War, the first such ceremony since South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol took office in May.

South Korean honor guards presented wooden caskets containing the remains during a ceremony at Incheon Airport near Seoul, where they were loaded onto a Chinese Air Force cargo plane, live video of the event showed.

The remains were received hours later in China’s northeastern city of Shenyang in a military ceremony attended by Chinese veterans of the three-year conflict.

This was the ninth such handover since the two countries – former Cold War-era enemies – signed an agreement on the issue in 2014, and brings the total number of Chinese remains returned to 913.

Friday’s repatriations are also the first since the inauguration of South Korean Yoon, who has sought to maintain a friendly relationship with Beijing even as he seeks to deepen ties with his key security ally Washington.

“Our annual handover of the remains of Chinese troops is held on a humanitarian basis, but also symbolizes friendly cooperation between South Korea and China,” said Lee Do-hoon, South Korea’s second deputy foreign minister, at the event.

Lee added the two countries would pursue “various forms” of cooperation as it marks 30 years since bilateral diplomatic ties were established.

China intervened on North Korea’s side during the Korean War of 1950-53, known in China as the War Against US Aggression and Aid to Korea.

An estimated three million Chinese communist troops fought alongside Pyongyang forces and helped tip the balance of the conflict.

Beijing’s intervention saved the north from defeat and pushed US-led United Nations forces back across the 38th parallel before the war ended in a stalemate that continues to this day.

The number of casualties remains disputed, but Western estimates generally put the Chinese deaths at 400,000, while Chinese sources put the figure at around 180,000.