Return of possible soliders' remains marks first step in North Korea diplomacy

19659014] Pence, the sound of a Korean War veteran fight, said in a statement that he will participate in the ceremony when the remains arrive in the US United Nations Command said the remains will be flown to Hawaii immediately after a full honors ceremony in Seo

"It is deeply humbling to be part of this historic moment," Pence said. "We will never forget the sacrifices these brave service members and their families made for our nation and our freedoms."

Early Friday morning in Korea, a US Air Force C-17 plane transport made a rare trip into North Korea to retrieve 55 boxes of what are believed to be remains from the Korean War. The aircraft then flew from Wonsan to Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, near the South Korean capital of Seoul.

At the air base, US servicemen and a military honor guarded on the tarmac to receive the remains, which were carried boxes covered in blue UN flags. Officials in North Korea had no comment on the handover, which came on the end of the Korean War.

Once the cases arrive in Hawaii, a series of forensic examinations will be made

Mattis underscored that looming question, saying "we do not know who's in those boxes." But he said the gesture is important for families of the fallen,

"We have families that they got the telegram," said Mattis said. "

More than 36,000 US troops died in the conflict."

The repatriation of North Korean demands for fast-tracked discussions to formally end the war, which was stopped with an armistice and not a peace treaty. South Korea's Defense Ministry also said that the North-West Frontier Authority would be prepared for the future of the United States.

The remains are believed to be more than 200 North Korea has held in storage for some time, and has been able to recover from land during farming or construction. The vast majority of the war dead, however, to be located and retrieved from cemeteries and battlefields across the countryside.

Efforts to recover North Korea's nuclear warriors North American military search teams conducted 269 sets of American remains. The last time North Korea turned over in 2007, when Bill Richardson, to form an ambbadador and New Mexico governor, secured the return of six sets.

Washington has said Pyongyang would not get sanctions relief and significant security and economic rewards unless it is firmly committed to a process of completely and verifiably eliminating its nuclear weapons. There are lingering doubts about whether or not they would agree to fully relinquish their nukes, which he could see to a stronger guarantee of survival than any security insurance the United States could offer.