National Post (National Edition)
North Korea returns U.S. war dead
Donald Trump praised the return of “fallen heroes” from North Korea to the United States as he publicly thanked Kim Jong Un on Friday for “keeping his word.”
An American military plane arrived in South Korea on Friday carrying what is believed to be the remains of 55 U.S. servicemen killed during the Korean War.
The handover is a concrete sign the North Korean leader is following through on a commitment he made to the U.S. president during their June meeting in Singapore.
However, the number falls short of the 200 sets of remains that Kim reportedly assured Trump he was willing to return.
During a press conference at the White House Trump praised the return “of some great fallen heroes from America back from the Korean War.”
He said: “We have many others coming, but I want to thank Chairman Kim in front of the media for fulfilling a promise that he made to me — and I’m sure that he will continue to fulfil that promise as they search and search and search.
“These incredible American heroes will soon lay at rest on sacred American soil.”
At the airbase, U.S. servicemen and a military honour guard lined up on the tarmac to receive the remains, which were carried in boxes covered in blue UN flags.
About 7,700 U.S. soldiers are listed as missing from the 1950-53 Korean War, and 5,300 of the remains are believed to still be in North Korea. The war killed millions, including 36,000 American soldiers.
U.S. Forces Korea commander Gen. Vincent K. Brooks, in a statement from the UN Command, called the retrieval mission successful. “Now, we will prepare to honour our fallen before they continue on their journey home.”
A formal repatriation ceremony will be held on Aug. 1, when the remains will be flown to a forensic laboratory in Hawaii to undergo tests in an attempt to identify the men.
Mike Pence, the vicepresident, will join families to welcome the remains back to American soil.
Officials in North Korea made no comment on the handover on Friday, the 65th anniversary of the end of the Korean War, which the country celebrated as the day of “victory in the fatherland liberation war.”
The repatriation of remains could be followed by stronger North Korean demands for fast-tracked discussions to formally end the war, which was stopped with an armistice and not a peace treaty.