A Huge THANK YOU to PRESIDENT TRUMP!
North Korea returns remains of US war dead
THE TOPLINE: About a month and a half after the Singapore summit and on the 65th anniversary of the signing of the Korean War armistice, North Korea
has returned 55 cases carrying the remains of U.S. troops to American custody.
The White House announced Thursday night -- Friday morning in Korea -- that a U.S. military cargo plane left Wonson, North Korea, carrying the small caskets with remains believed to be U.S. service members who were killed in the Korean War.
The Air Force C-17 landed in Osan Air Base, South Korea, at about 11 a.m. local time, whereupon a dignified transfer ceremony was held.
Trump thanks Kim: In remarks at the White House,
President Trump thanked North Korean leader Kim Jong Un for
fulfilling a promise he made at their June summit.
"I want to thank Chairman Kim for keeping his word," the president said. "We have many others coming, but I want to thank Chairman Kim in front of the media for fulfilling a promise he made to me. And I'm sure he will continue to fulfill that promise as they search, and search, and search."
The return of Korean War remains was one of the pledges in the two leaders' joint statement from Singapore. The remains of about 5,300 U.S. service members from the war are believed to still be in North Korea.
What's next: A formal repatriation ceremony is scheduled for 5 p.m. Wednesday local time at Osan.
"It was a successful mission following extensive coordination," Gen. Vincent Brooks, commander of U.S. Forces Korea, said in a statement. "Now, we will prepare to honor our fallen before they continue on their journey home."
After the ceremony, the remains will be flown to Hawaii for forensic testing to confirm their identities.
Trump said Friday that Vice President Pence will greet families of soldiers killed in the Korean War when the flight from South Korea arrives.
As for future recovery efforts, Defense Secretary
James Mattis said Friday that it "is certainly under consideration" to have U.S. military teams go into North Korea to look for more remains