North Korea sanctions to remain until denuclearization achieved – S. Korea

SEOUL (Reuters) – Sanctions against North Korea will remain in place until Pyongyang can assure concerned parties such as South Korea that “complete denuclearization has been achieved,” the South’s foreign minister said on Wednesday.

Foreign Minister Kang Kyungwha said South Korea expected to see “concrete action” by North Korea to “live up to its complete denuclearization commitment,” in return for guarantees of its security and other efforts for peace.

“Meanwhile, the sanctions will remain in place until we are assured that complete denuclearization has been achieved,” Kang told a news conference in Seoul.

North Korea could start the process of handing over the remains of troops, including Americans, missing from the Korean War within the next few days, two US officials told Reuters on Tuesday.

The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said North Korea would hand over the remains to United Nations Command in South Korea, and they would then be transferred to Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii.

One official said “a sizable number” of remains were expected to be handed over, but declined to give a specific number given the unpredictability of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

It could take months or even years before the remains are positively identified, the officials added.

About 7,700 US military personnel remain unaccounted from the 19501953 Korean War, US military data shows. According to the Pentagon, North Korean officials have indicated in the past that they have the remains of as many as 200 US troops. More than 36,500 US troops died in the conflict.

Transferring the remains would mark the first step Kim has taken since the summit that could indicate he may be serious about improving relations with Washington.