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Korea remains: Pyongyang returns US troops slain in Korean War | Korea remains: Pyongyang returns US troops slain in Korean War |
(35 minutes later) | |
North Korea has returned remains believed to be of US troops killed during the Korean War, the latest move in the cautious diplomacy between Washington and Pyongyang. | North Korea has returned remains believed to be of US troops killed during the Korean War, the latest move in the cautious diplomacy between Washington and Pyongyang. |
A US military aircraft took the remains to an American base in South Korea. | A US military aircraft took the remains to an American base in South Korea. |
This will be welcomed by relatives who have waited decades to be reunited with the remains of their loved ones. | This will be welcomed by relatives who have waited decades to be reunited with the remains of their loved ones. |
The repatriation was agreed at the June summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korea's Kim Jong-un. | The repatriation was agreed at the June summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korea's Kim Jong-un. |
It comes on the 65th anniversary of the signing of the armistice that ended the 1950-1953 Korean War. | It comes on the 65th anniversary of the signing of the armistice that ended the 1950-1953 Korean War. |
Thousands of US military personnel from the conflict remain unaccounted for and most of them - about 5,300 - were lost in what is now North Korea. | Thousands of US military personnel from the conflict remain unaccounted for and most of them - about 5,300 - were lost in what is now North Korea. |
It is unclear exactly how many remains have been returned this time and they will need to be forensically tested to ensure they are of slain US soldiers. | |
'Momentum for change' | 'Momentum for change' |
The White House statement said the US government was "encouraged by North Korea's actions and the momentum for positive change". | The White House statement said the US government was "encouraged by North Korea's actions and the momentum for positive change". |
The US military aircraft took the remains to the Osan base where a repatriation ceremony will be held on 1 August. | The US military aircraft took the remains to the Osan base where a repatriation ceremony will be held on 1 August. |
More than 326,000 Americans fought alongside soldiers from South Korea and a UN coalition during the Korean War from 1950-53 to support the South against the Communist North. The missing US soldiers are among around 33,000 coalition troops still unaccounted for. | |
Friday's repatriation was one of four points actually listed on the June declaration between the US and North Korea. | |
The summit in Singapore, where the leaders agreed to work towards the "complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula", has been criticised for a lack of details on when or how Pyongyang would renounce nuclear weapons. | The summit in Singapore, where the leaders agreed to work towards the "complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula", has been criticised for a lack of details on when or how Pyongyang would renounce nuclear weapons. |
Last week North Korea appeared to begin dismantling part of a key rocket launch site the Sohae station, but some intelligence reports also intimate that Pyongyang may still secretly be continuing its weapons programme. | Last week North Korea appeared to begin dismantling part of a key rocket launch site the Sohae station, but some intelligence reports also intimate that Pyongyang may still secretly be continuing its weapons programme. |
Nevertheless this move will be seen as a concrete step after years of efforts by relatives and US authorities to retrieve the remains. | |
The remains of the US soldiers are believed to be in: | |
Between 1990 and 2005, 229 sets were returned, but this halted as relations deteriorated with the development of North Korea's nuclear ambitions. | Between 1990 and 2005, 229 sets were returned, but this halted as relations deteriorated with the development of North Korea's nuclear ambitions. |