US, South Korea Strengthen Cooperation on Korean War Soldier Remains Recovery

SEOUL – The United States and South Korea have agreed to enhance cooperation in the search for and repatriation of the remains of soldiers killed during the Korean War, according to a report from Seoul-based Yonhap News on Monday.

This commitment was made during the annual talks held last week in Washington between South Korea’s Defense Ministry Agency for KIA (Killed in Action) Recovery and Identification and the US Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA). Both sides agreed to intensify joint efforts in searching, excavating, and forensically identifying the remains of fallen soldiers from their respective countries.

The two nations also discussed the schedule for repatriating seven remains from the US and three from South Korea in the coming year. Additionally, they agreed to repatriate the remains of four Turkish soldiers currently held by the DPAA to South Korea later this month. The Turkish soldiers will be laid to rest at the United Nations Memorial Cemetery in Korea, located in the southeastern city of Busan, in November.

Since 2011, the US and South Korea have held these annual meetings to accelerate cooperation in recovering the remains of soldiers who fought in the 1950–53 Korean War.