N. Korea agrees to talk about US troop remains
Source: Agencies |
August 20, 2011, Saturday
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Print Edition
NORTH Korea said yesterday it has accepted a US proposal to discuss recovering remains of American soldiers killed during the Korean War, another sign of easing tensions between Washington and Pyongyang.
About 8,000 US service members are listed as missing from the 1950-53 Korean War, including 5,500 in North Korea. Joint efforts to recover remains began in 1996, according to the US Department of Defense.
The work was suspended in 2005 after Washington said there wasn't enough security for its personnel.
Preparation for talks on restarting the search for remains comes as the countries pursue tentative discussions on resuming stalled nuclear disarmament negotiations.
The US and North Korea fought on opposite sides of the war and have never signed a peace treaty.
Earlier this month, US officials called for talks on resuming the excavation of soldiers' remains and were awaiting Pyongyang's reply.
A North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman told North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency yesterday that Pyongyang had accepted the US proposal.
The spokesman said Washington and Pyongyang were preparing for talks, but there were few other details.
Between 1996 and 2005, a joint recovery team found 220 sets of remains, according to the Pentagon.
The Korean peninsula remains in a technical state of war because the three-year conflict ended in a truce, not a peace treaty.
The US keeps more than 28,000 troops in South Korea to protect against aggression, a presence North Korea cites for its need to build nuclear weapons.
North Korea says it is ready to resume the six-nation nuclear negotiations, which involve the two Koreas, the US, China, Russia and Japan.
However, the US and its allies want Pyongyang first to take concrete steps to show sincere intent, such as freezing its nuclear activities and allowing inspections.
Washington has also called for improved inter-Korean ties.
About 8,000 US service members are listed as missing from the 1950-53 Korean War, including 5,500 in North Korea. Joint efforts to recover remains began in 1996, according to the US Department of Defense.
The work was suspended in 2005 after Washington said there wasn't enough security for its personnel.
Preparation for talks on restarting the search for remains comes as the countries pursue tentative discussions on resuming stalled nuclear disarmament negotiations.
The US and North Korea fought on opposite sides of the war and have never signed a peace treaty.
Earlier this month, US officials called for talks on resuming the excavation of soldiers' remains and were awaiting Pyongyang's reply.
A North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman told North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency yesterday that Pyongyang had accepted the US proposal.
The spokesman said Washington and Pyongyang were preparing for talks, but there were few other details.
Between 1996 and 2005, a joint recovery team found 220 sets of remains, according to the Pentagon.
The Korean peninsula remains in a technical state of war because the three-year conflict ended in a truce, not a peace treaty.
The US keeps more than 28,000 troops in South Korea to protect against aggression, a presence North Korea cites for its need to build nuclear weapons.
North Korea says it is ready to resume the six-nation nuclear negotiations, which involve the two Koreas, the US, China, Russia and Japan.
However, the US and its allies want Pyongyang first to take concrete steps to show sincere intent, such as freezing its nuclear activities and allowing inspections.
Washington has also called for improved inter-Korean ties.
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