Thread: North Korea returns potential remains of 55 U.S. Korean War troops

North Korea returns potential remains of 55 U.S. Korean War troops

Possible remains of U.S. soldiers returned from North Korea
Jul.27.201801:03

North Korea turned over what are believed to be the remains of 55 U.S. service members who were killed during the Korean War of the 1950s on Friday local time, the 65th anniversary of the armistice that ended the fighting, the United States and the United Nations said.

A U.S. cargo aircraft flew to Wonson, North Korea, to receive the remains and returned to Osan Air Base, South Korea, the unified U.N. Command for Korea and U.S. Forces Korea said in a statement.

"It was a successful mission following extensive coordination,” said U.S. Army Gen. Vincent K. Brooks, commander of both structures. "Now, we will prepare to honor our fallen before they continue on their journey home."

U.S. servicemen and women, joined by a military honor guard, lined up on the tarmac at Osan to receive the remains, which were carried in boxes covered in blue U.N. flags, according to The Associated Press. Brooks will host a full honors ceremony next Wednesday, the combined command said.

The remains were accompanied by technical experts from the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, the White House said.

The return is part of an agreement reached during the June summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The transfer sets off a lengthy series of forensic examinations and tests to determine whether the remains are human and whether they are actually U.S. or allied troops who were killed in the conflict.

Referring to Kim, the White House said in a statement: "Today, the chairman is fulfilling part of the commitment he made to the president to return our fallen American service members.

"We are encouraged by North Korea's actions and the momentum for positive change," it said.

Trump said on Twitter Thursday night: "After so many years, this will be a great moment for so many families. Thank you to Kim Jong Un."

About 7,800 U.S. service members were lost and unrecovered from the Korean War, and about 5,300 of those were lost in North Korea, according to the Defense Department. The war, which was fought from June 25, 1950, until July 27, 1953, is sometimes referred to as "The Forgotten War."

Joint U.S.-North Korea military search teams collected 229 sets of U.S. remains from 1996 to 2005. But efforts to recover and return more remains stalled for more than a decade as Washington and Pyongyang clashed over North Korea's nuclear weapons program. The United States, meanwhile, alleged that the safety of its recovery teams wasn't being guaranteed.

South Korea President Moon Jae-in said Wednesday during a meeting with Harry Harris, the new U.S. ambassador to Seoul, that the transfer of the remains would boost momentum for talks on the North's nuclear program.

U.S. veteran of the Korean War Joseph P. Frey, left, is welcomed by South Korean students waving South Korean national flags upon veterans arrival to attend the commemorating ceremony for the U.N. Force Participating Day in the Korean War in Seoul, South Korea, on July 27, 2018.Lee Jin-man / AP

More than 33,000 U.S. service members died in battle during the Korean War, the Defense Department has said.

Historians had previously put the number of U.S. service members who died during the war at more than 54,000, but the Defense Department in 1993 divided that larger number into 33,686 battle deaths, 2,830 non-battle deaths in Korea, and 17,730 other deaths across the military, according to a 2000 American Forces Press Service article posted on the department’s website.

"It is a solemn obligation of the United States Government to ensure that the remains are handled with dignity and properly accounted for so their families receive them in an honorable manner," the White House said.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/n...troops-n895126

Remains of US war dead retrieved from North Korea, White House says

By Elizabeth Zwirz
2 hours ago

A soldier carries a casket containing what was believed to be the remains of a U.S. soldier who was killed in the Korean War, during a ceremony at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, July 27, 2018. (Associated Press)

Fifty-five cases containing what were believed to be the remains of U.S. servicemen killed during the Korean War were returned Friday, the White House said.

The cases, each draped with the flag of the United Nations, arrived aboard a U.S. military plane at Osan Air Base outside Seoul, South Korea. Earlier, the plane and its crew had traveled to Wonsan, North Korea, to collect the remains, the White House said.

The transfer of the remains from the 1950-53 Korean War had been negotiated last month during a summit meeting in Singapore between President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

President Donald Trump tweeted about the return of the remains late Thursday, as the transfer mission was getting underway.

"The Remains of American Servicemen will soon be leaving North Korea and heading to the United States! After so many years, this will be a great moment for so many families. Thank you to Kim Jong Un," the president wrote.

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.

White House releases statement announcing that an Air Force plane carrying the remains of fallen soldiers has departed North Korea.

Officials in North Korea had 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."

Earlier Thursday, the White House released a statement confirming details about the transfer of the remains.

"At their historic meeting in Singapore, President Donald J. Trump and Chairman Kim Jong Un took a bold first step to achieve the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, transform relations between the United States and North Korea, and establish enduring peace," the statement said. "Today, the Chairman is fulfilling part of the commitment he made to the President to return our fallen American service members. We are encouraged by North Koreas actions and the momentum for positive change."

Among the other results from the highly anticipated meeting, the two leaders signed a document that said Pyongyang would work toward "complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula."

A U.S. official previously told Fox News that the U.S. was expecting that the rogue regime would be sending back the remains Friday. However, the official said that nothing was set in stone until the U.S. plane leaves Wonsan with the remains.

Fox News’ Greg Palkot, Lukas Mikelionis and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2018/07...ouse-says.html