U.S., N. Korea to Discuss War Remains
North Korea has tentatively agreed to meetings with American officials to discuss its claim to have unearthed remains of hundreds of Americans killed in the Korean War, Defense Secretary William S. Cohen said Friday.
“They apparently have agreed to discuss the number of remains and the conflict in the accounting, and we would assume there would be a full discussion of returning those remains,” Cohen said in an interview. He was in Munich to attend a weekend conference on European security.
The Pentagon believes that the North Koreans have only two sets of remains. North Korea said that the number is about 400. It challenged the Pentagon to send experts to confirm the claim.
Cohen said U.S. officials are “willing and eager” to discuss this with the North Koreans. His spokesman, Kenneth H. Bacon, said North Korean officials admitted to the Pentagon this week that they have in their possession only two sets of remains.
About 8,200 U.S. servicemen are listed as missing in the 1950-53 Korean War.
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