Deal reached for new search for U.S. war dead in North Korea
WASHINGTON >> The Defense Department says it has agreed with North Korea to resume — after a six-year break — the search for remains of U.S. servicemen unaccounted for from the Korean War.
The deal was made Thursday after three days of negotiations in Bangkok.
The U.S. and North Korea began working together on the recovery of U.S. war remains in 1996. But in 2005 the Bush administration called a halt, saying it was concerned for the safety of the U.S. teams in North Korea.
The Korean War ended with an armistice in 1953.
The new searches are part of a broader U.S. effort to improve relations with North Korea. Next week the U.S. plans to hold what the State Department calls exploratory talks with the North on its nuclear weapons program.
