WAR DEAD’S REMAINS MAKE IT HOME
IN a solemn ceremony, the United States has welcomed home human remains it says presumably include Americans killed in the 1950-1953 Korean War, and thanked North Korea for making good on a June summit pledge to hand them over.
Only one identification “dog tag” was delivered by the North Koreans, underscoring the long path ahead for US military efforts to identify the remains inside the 55 boxes presented by North Korea to the US last week. US Vice President Mike Pence hailed the remains’ arrival in Hawaii as evidence of the success of President Donald Trump’s landmark summit in June with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
Critics say the summit has so far failed to deliver on promised steps toward denuclearisation by Pyongyang.
“I know that President Trump is grateful that Chairman Kim has kept his word, and we see today this tangible progress in our efforts to achieve peace on the Korean Peninsula,” Mr Pence, whose father fought in the Korean War, said.
More than 7700 US troops remain unaccounted for from the Korean War. About 5300 were lost in what is now North Korea.
Other countries under the command of the United Nations also lost troops that are still unaccounted for, including Australia, the United Kingdom and Canada.