N. Korea, U.S. held general-level talks on return of American war dead
- 6 years ago
Repatriating the remains of American troops killed in the Korean War was a promise made by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during his summit with U.S. President Donald Trump in June.
And today, North Korea and UN Command officials, representing the U.S.,... held talks to implement that agreement.
For more, let's connect to our Park Hee-jun, who’s on the line for us at Seoul's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Hee-jun, although the talks started earlier this morning here in the Korean peninsula... officials from both sides seem to be tight-lipped on how the talks went. Can you tell us more about the talks?
Ji-yeon. Yes, the talks began at around 10 this morning at the truce village of Panmunjom,... and lasted for about two hours.
North Korea and the U.S. are believed to have negotiated on when and how the American soldiers' remains are to be returned.
This is actually the second attempt by the U.S. to hold the talks.
They were originally set for Thursday, but representatives from the North Korean side never showed up,... leaving the U.S. side waiting at Panmunjom all day.
They even had about 100 wooden caskets ready to bring the remains back home, once an agreement was reached.
But the North later asked UN Command, or UNC, to postpone the meeting to Sunday, saying that they needed to do more preparation,... and that's what led to today's discussions.
The North also said it wanted to have the talks involve military generals... rather than the working-level officials originally agreed upon.
Experts see that as an attempt to have other issues discussed, such as declaring an end to the Korean War.
Because of North Korea's proposal,... it's believed that UNC Chief of Staff Major General Michael Minihan was part of the U.S. delegation.
If so that would make it the first general-level military talks between the two sides in over 9 years.
Now, we don't what came out of the talks,.. or whether it was productive,... and there could be follow-up talks later on.
But the U.S. State Department or Pentagon is expected to release a statement later in the day.
I'll make sure to keep a close eye on the details.
Back to you.
And today, North Korea and UN Command officials, representing the U.S.,... held talks to implement that agreement.
For more, let's connect to our Park Hee-jun, who’s on the line for us at Seoul's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Hee-jun, although the talks started earlier this morning here in the Korean peninsula... officials from both sides seem to be tight-lipped on how the talks went. Can you tell us more about the talks?
Ji-yeon. Yes, the talks began at around 10 this morning at the truce village of Panmunjom,... and lasted for about two hours.
North Korea and the U.S. are believed to have negotiated on when and how the American soldiers' remains are to be returned.
This is actually the second attempt by the U.S. to hold the talks.
They were originally set for Thursday, but representatives from the North Korean side never showed up,... leaving the U.S. side waiting at Panmunjom all day.
They even had about 100 wooden caskets ready to bring the remains back home, once an agreement was reached.
But the North later asked UN Command, or UNC, to postpone the meeting to Sunday, saying that they needed to do more preparation,... and that's what led to today's discussions.
The North also said it wanted to have the talks involve military generals... rather than the working-level officials originally agreed upon.
Experts see that as an attempt to have other issues discussed, such as declaring an end to the Korean War.
Because of North Korea's proposal,... it's believed that UNC Chief of Staff Major General Michael Minihan was part of the U.S. delegation.
If so that would make it the first general-level military talks between the two sides in over 9 years.
Now, we don't what came out of the talks,.. or whether it was productive,... and there could be follow-up talks later on.
But the U.S. State Department or Pentagon is expected to release a statement later in the day.
I'll make sure to keep a close eye on the details.
Back to you.