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USSecretary of State Mike Pompeo said that talks on Sunday between US and Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) officials to discuss the return of remains of US service members killed in the 1950-53 Korean War “resulted in firm commitments” and that there would be a follow-up meeting on Monday.
It was the first time in nine years that USand DPRK generals held talks. The two sides met on the inter-Korean border and agreed to resume joint field activities to search for the remains of Americans missing from the war, Pompeo said in a statement.
“Today’s talks were productive and cooperative and resulted in firm commitments,” he said.
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.
Working level meetings will begin on Monday to coordinate the next steps for the repatriation of remains, including the transfer of those already collected in DPRK, Pompeo said.
The Pentagon has said DPRK officials have indicated in the past they have the remains of as many as 200 US troops. But a US military official familiar with the matter said last month it was not clear what DPRK might hand over.
USforces brought some 100 wooden coffins into the Demilitarized Zone {DMZ) last month, which will be used to transport the remains, according to Republic of Korea’s Yonhap news agency.
About 7,700 US military personnel still remain unaccounted for from the Korean War, US military data show. More than 36,500 US troops died in the conflict.
Pompeo unveiled the plan for the talks after visiting Pyongyang this month, touting it as one of the 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.
A US army's vehicle carrying the flag of the United Nations crosses the Tongil bridge near the border line in Paju, ROK, July 15, 2018. /Reuters Photo
Pompeo initially said the two sides had agreed to hold talks on USremains on Thursday but no DPRK representatives showed up at the border. The DPRK then proposed meeting USmilitary officials on Sunday, US and ROK officials have said.
The DPRK and the US conducted joint operations to recover the remains of US soldiers from 1996 to 2005 but stopped when their relations soured as Pyongyang accelerated its nuclear program.
At the Singapore summit, Kim Jong Un made a broad commitment to “work toward denuclearization”, but fell short of details on how or when he would dismantle DPRK’s nuclear program, which it has pursued in defiance of UN Security Council resolutions.
Pompeo had hoped to “fill in” details on how to dismantle the DPRK’s nuclear program and recover the remains of US troops in his talks in Pyongyang this month.
He later said he had made progress on setting a timeline for the DPRK’s denuclearization.
(REUTERS)
