NKorea may return war remains within 2 weeks
SEOUL, South Korea — The U.S. military is expecting to repatriate from North Korea the remains of as many as 55 service members who were killed during the Korean War, a U.S. official said Tuesday.
The repatriations probably will take place next week or the week after, the official said. It would be the first time that remains believed to be those of U.S. troops have been directly returned by North Korean officials in 13 years.
The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, cautioned that the timing and the number of remains could change. The official said that 55 was a “ballpark” figure and that further testing by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency would be required to confirm the number.
U.S. military data suggest that 7,700 troops remain unaccounted for from the 1950-1953 conflict.
The Stars and Stripes newspaper had reported Tuesday that a U.S. delegation had agreed to travel to North Korea and retrieve the remains, citing a U.S. official. The U.S. team would then fly out with the remains on July 27, either to Osan Air Base in South Korea or to Hawaii.
July 27 is the 65th anniversary of the signing of an armistice that ended the Korean War, an important date in U.S.-North Korea relations.
At their recent meeting, President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un agreed to restart the repatriation process, and both signed a statement promising the “immediate repatriation of those already identified.”
U.S. military officials met with their North Korean counterparts Sunday to continue discussions about repatriation. The U.S. side was led by Maj. Gen. Michael A. Minihan, chief of staff for the U.N. Command. The meeting was the first between a U.S. and North Korean general since March 2009.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the talks were “productive and cooperative and resulted in firm commitments.” The meeting was followed up by another workinglevel meeting Monday to work out the next steps.
The United States and North Korea also have agreed to restart efforts to search for the remains of other Americans in the northern part of the peninsula, according to the State Department.