North Korea returns remains of U.S. soldiers

The White House announced Thursday night that North Korea has transferred the remains of an unspecified number of U.S. soldiers killed during the Korean War.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un agreed to return the remains during his summit with President Trump last month in Singapore. "Today, [Kim] is fulfilling part of the commitment he made to the president to return our fallen American service members," the White House said in a statement. "We are encouraged by North Korea's actions and the momentum for positive change."

More than 7,700 U.S. troops who fought in the Korean War never came home, and roughly 5,300 of those soldiers were lost in what is now North Korea, Reuters reports. The remains were transported on a U.S. military plane, which flew to the North Korean city of Wonsan and returned to the Osan air base in South Korea. A formal repatriation ceremony will be held Wednesday at Osan.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up