Politics
14:21, 15-Jul-2018
Media: US, DPRK meet to discuss remains of soldiers from Korean War
Updated
13:47, 18-Jul-2018
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Officials from the US and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) met on the inter-Korean border on Sunday to discuss the return of remains of US soldiers killed in the 1950-53 Korean War, according to Yonhap news agency.
The repatriation of US remains was one of the agreements reached during an unprecedented summit between US President Donald Trump and DPRK leader Kim Jong Un in June in Singapore.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo unveiled the plan for talks after visiting Pyongyang this month, touting it as one of key issues on which the two sides had made progress, though the DPRK accused his delegation of making "gangster-like" demands in connection with denuclearization during the trip.
Pompeo initially said the two sides had agreed to hold talks on US remains on Thursday but no DPRK representatives showed up on the border.
The DPRK then proposed meeting US military officials on Sunday, officials from the US and the Republic of Korea (ROK) said.
According to Yonhap, the negotiations had begun at the border village of Panmunjom in the so-called Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas.
Three vehicles of US forces in ROK, flying UN flags, were spotted heading to the border earlier in the day, Yonhap said.
A DPRK soldier patrols at the truce village of Panmunjom inside the DMZ, April 18, 2018. /Reuters Photo
A DPRK soldier patrols at the truce village of Panmunjom inside the DMZ, April 18, 2018. /Reuters Photo
A UN Command (UNC) general would represent the US side and his counterpart is expected to be a military commander stationed in the DMZ, the news agency said.
A UNC official said he had no information to confirm the report, though preparations had been made for Sunday's talks.
A US Embassy spokesman in Seoul was not available for comment. There were no reports about the meeting on DPRK state media.
The US forces brought some 100 wooden coffins into the DMZ last month, which will be used to transport the remains, according to Yonhap.
(Cover: Members of the US military carry the remains of a Korean War-era US serviceman recovered from the DPRK during a repatriation ceremony held at Hickam Air Force Base, April 12, 2007. /AP Photo)
Source(s): Reuters