North Korea transfers 55 small, flag-draped cases carrying the suspected remains of U.S. soldiers killed in the Korean War, a first step by Pyongyang to implement an agreement made in a landmark summit in June in Singapore. Grace Lee reports.
A solemn ceremony as soldiers carry out 55 small cases draped in UN flags.
Inside are believed to be the remains of U.S. soldiers, killed in the Korean War, finally on allied soil after being held for decades in North Korea.
On Friday (July 27), Pyongyang returned the remains which were flown to a US base in South Korea, a first step by the country to keeping a promise made in Singapore.
U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted Thursday evening, thanking Kim Jong Un.
He says: “After so many years – this will be a great moment for so many families.”
The pledge to transfer the remains was seen as a goodwill gesture by Kim in June, and though it’s taken longer than Washington would have liked, it rekindles hopes for progress in nuclear talks.
The handover also coincided with the anniversary of the Korean War armistice.
And on Friday, Kim Jong Un was seen at a cemetery visiting his own veterans.
The armistice, signed in 1953, ended fighting but the two koreas are still technically at war because a peace treaty was never signed.
Pyongyang is calling for a formal end as the first process for peace.
And they say it’s an important way Washington can guarantee the North’s security in return for giving up its nuclear weapons.
And it seems progress on that is being made as well.
According to recent satellite images, North Korea’s has already started to dismantle a major missile test site.
As for the remains, a formal repatriation ceremony will be held at the base on Wednesday (August 1).
They will then be flown to Hawaii for further processing.
More than 77 hundred U.S. troops who fought in the Korean War remain unaccounted for with 53 hundred lost in North Korea.
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