Politics
11:30, 26-Jul-2018
DPRK to transfer remains of US soldiers from Korean War on Friday
Updated
11:09, 29-Jul-2018
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The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) will transfer the remains of an unspecified number of soldiers killed in the Korean War on Friday, after accepting about 100 wooden caskets sent by the United States, Yonhap news agency of the Republic of Korea reported.
The repatriation of remains of US soldiers killed in the 1950-53 Korean War was one of the agreements reached during the summit between US President Donald Trump and DPRK leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore on June 12.
Yonhap, citing an unidentified diplomatic source, said on Thursday the DPRK had accepted the caskets, which were carried in two trucks, and was expected to transfer the remains on Friday.
Guards carry the remains of the United Nations Command (UNC) and Republic of Korea soldiers who were killed in the 1950-53 Korean War during the mutual repatriation ceremony of soldiers' remains between the ROK and US at the Seoul National Cemetery in Seoul on July 13, 2018. /VCG Photo
Guards carry the remains of the United Nations Command (UNC) and Republic of Korea soldiers who were killed in the 1950-53 Korean War during the mutual repatriation ceremony of soldiers' remains between the ROK and US at the Seoul National Cemetery in Seoul on July 13, 2018. /VCG Photo
The planned transfer would coincide with the 65th anniversary of the 1953 armistice agreement that ended fighting.
A US military transport plane was set to fly to an airfield in DPRK's Wonsan city to accept the remains, Yonhap reported. They would then be flown to Hawaii after an initial DNA analysis at Osan air base in South Korea.
CNN, citing a US official, reported earlier this week that Washington expects to receive an initial 55 sets of remains and planned to send officials to the DPRK to open and photograph each casket as part of a “cursory review” of what the DPRK turned over.
The remains would then be flown to a US military laboratory in Hawaii for DNA analysis, CNN reported.
Republic of Korea's President Moon Jae-in said during a meeting with new US Ambassador Harry Harris on Wednesday that a transfer of the remains would boost the momentum for nuclear talks between Pyongyang and Washington.
Kim and Trump agreed to work toward denuclearization at their Singapore summit but there has been no sign of a concrete agreement on how to achieve that goal.
(Cover: DPRK leader Kim Jung Un (L) and US President Donald Trump leave after signing documents at the Capella Hotel in Singapore on June 12, 2018. /Reuters Photo)
Source(s): Reuters