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US Plane Lands in South Korea With War Remains

by VOA News

   A U.S. military plane flew to North Korea and returned with the remains
   of U.S. service members killed in the Korean War more than six decades
   ago, the White House press secretary confirmed in a statement late
   Thursday.

   "A U.S. Air Force C-17 aircraft containing remains of fallen service
   members has departed Wonsan, North Korea," the White House statement
   said. "It is accompanied by service members from United Nations Command
   Korea and technical experts from the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency.
   The C-17 is transferring the remains to Osan Air Base (near Seoul),
   where a formal repatriation ceremony will be held on August 1."

   The plane landed in South Korea early Friday morning with 55 cases of
   remains returned by North Korea.

   "It was a successful mission following extensive coordination," said
   United Nations Command and United States Forces Korea Commander General
   Vincent K. Brooks. "Now, we will prepare to honor our fallen before
   they continue on their journey home."

   Immediately after the August 1 ceremony, the remains will be flown to
   Hawaii for further processing under the Defense POW/MIA Accounting
   Agency.

   The South Korean news agency Yonhap, citing a South Korean diplomatic
   source, earlier had reported that North Korea recently received two
   truckloads of wooden boxes from U.S. officials.

   Friday marks the 65th anniversary of the signing of the armistice that
   ended the 1950-53 war that split the communist North and the democratic
   South.

   "The United States owes a profound debt of gratitude to those American
   service members who gave their lives in service to their country and we
   are working diligently to bring them home. 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 statement said.

   The transfer begins to fulfill an agreement made last month between
   North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump during
   their historic meeting in Singapore in June.

   About 7,700 U.S. soldiers are listed as missing from the Korean War,
   and 5,300 of the remains are believed to still be in North Korea.

   White House Bureau Chief Steve Herman and Pentagon correspondent Carla
   Babb contributed to this report.