N. KOREA RETURNS U.S. WAR DEAD
Only one ‘dog tag’ delivered with remains in 55 boxes
IN a solemn ceremony, the United States on Wednesday welcomed home human remains it said presumably included 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.
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 Jongun. Critics said the summit had 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,” said Pence, whose father fought in the Korean War.
More than 7,700 US troops remain unaccounted for from the Korea War. About 5,300 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 the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada.
Pence, in his address at Joint Base Pearl Harbour-Hickam in Hawaii, said he trusted that Americans killed in the war were among the flag-draped cases flown to Hawaii on Wednesday.
“Whosoever emerges from these aircraft, today begins a new season of hope for the families of our missing fallen,” he said.
The US military flew the remains from Osan Air Base in South Korea after they had undergone an initial review.
John Byrd, director of analysis for the US Defence POW/MIA Accounting Agency, said in Osan that the family of the soldier identified by the dog tag had been notified. But he cautioned it was unclear if that soldier’s remains were among those received from North Korea.
Experts said identifying the decades-old remains could take anywhere from days to decades.
Still, the initial field forensic review indicated the “remains are what North Korea said they were”, Byrd said.