[KOREAN-WAR-L:11348] U.S.-North Korea Strike New Arrangements on MIA Operations

[Mike Davino <mdavino@yahoo.com>]

The search for those left behind continues....

Mike D

 No. 101-04  
IMMEDIATE RELEASE  February 12, 2004  

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

U.S.-North Korea Strike New Arrangements on MIA
Operations
            U.S. and North Korean negotiators agreed
Wednesday to improve markedly several areas of
cooperation in operations to recover the remains of
American soldiers missing in action from the Korean
War.
            During talks in Bangkok, Thailand, both
sides agreed to resume repatriating remains recovered
during joint recovery operations in North Korea across
the demilitarized zone at Panmunjom.  This practice
has not occurred since 1999.  U.S. team members will
accompany the remains into South Korea.  Additionally,
supplies and equipment for the 2004 operations will be
moved by ground transportation across the DMZ.

            ?I am encouraged by the level of
cooperation the North Koreans demonstrated during
these talks,? said Jerry D. Jennings, deputy assistant
secretary of defense for POW/missing personnel
affairs.  ?We accomplished much at no additional cost
to the U.S. government, and these new procedures will
streamline the process of getting our teams in and out
of North Korea, and bringing our fallen heroes back
home to their families.?

            Jennings led Wednesday?s talks, as well as
those in November, where broad terms were set for five
recovery operations and a period of unilateral and
joint investigations prior to the excavations.  The
five operations will be centered in the areas of Unsan
County, about 60 miles north of Pyongyang, and near
the Chosin Reservoir in the northeast part of North
Korea.

            For the first time, the North Korean side
also agreed to present to their senior leaders a
proposal to establish a single point of contact to
resolve reports of Americans living in North Korea. 
In the past, the North Koreans refused to even broach
the subject denying that any Americans missing from
the Korean War are still alive in the North.  ?This
doesn?t resolve the live sighting issue in North
Korea, but at least this time they agreed to discuss
it and consider our request,? said Jennings.

           Since the United States has conducted
remains recovery operations in North Korea every year
since 1996, more than 180 sets of remains believed to
be those of American soldiers have been recovered. 
More than 8,100 are still missing in action from the
Korean War.


__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Finance: Get your refund fast by filing online.
http://taxes.yahoo.com/filing.html