North Korea begins to return to the United States the remains of its soldiers – International



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A military aircraft sent by Washington released this Friday from North Korea remnants of US soldiers killed in the Korean War, an initiative that has been hailed by the White House as a "positive" gesture in favor of the fragile distension between the two rivals

The return of the remains of the Americans who died in this conflict (1950-53) is part of an agreement signed by the North American leader Korean Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump at its historic summit in June

"After so many years, it will be a good time for so many families, thanks to Kim Jong Un," said Trump on Twitter.

The return of the remains to the United States coincides with the 65th anniversary of the armistice that ended hostilities on the Korean peninsula.

The cargo plane lands around 0200 GMT at Osan Air Base, where US soldiers were training for a ceremony, showed television in a live broadcast.

The White House confirmed the information and said that the ship used had left North Korea.

"A US Air Force C-17 aircraft containing the remains of fallen soldiers left Wonsan, North Korea," the statement said.

More than 35,000 Americans died on the Korean Peninsula during the war, including 7,700 missing, including 5,300 in North Korea, according to Pentagon data.

"Today's actions represent a very important first step in relaunching the repatriation of North Korean remnants and resuming field operations in North Korea to search for approximately 5,300 Americans who do not have not returned home yet. "The White House said in a statement.

"Squeeze"

Between 1990 and 2005, a total of 229 remains of North Korea were repatriated, but these operations were suspended when ties between the two countries deteriorated due to the Pyongyang nuclear program . 19659002] The remains that landed at Osan on Friday must be sent to Hawaii for examination by forensic experts.

The United Nations Command in South Korea (UNC) stated that there were 55 sets of remains on board the aircraft.

"This was a successful mission after a thorough coordination," said General Vincent Brooks, commander of the UNC troops and US troops.

"Now we are preparing to honor our dead before they continue their journey home."

Trump celebrated the summit agreements with Kim as an effective brake on North Korea's nuclear threat, although Pyongyang has only diffusely undertaken the "denuclearization of the Korean peninsula", far from the complete, verifiable and irreversible disarmament concept demanded by Washington.

The question of the repatriation of the remains of fallen Americans was considered a less difficult issue and at the top, the immediate return of those "already identified" was established.

Former New Mexico governor Bill Richardson, who worked on repatriation issues and made several visits to North Korea, warned that Pyongyang could retain more returns to take advantage more money from the United States.

"They will immediately deliver a number of free debris," Richardson told the Washington Post

"but then they will say," next time we'll need to find them, locate them, restore them " And there they will start charging and they will tighten that, "he warned.


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