Deal for new search for US war dead in North Korea

Washington: The Pentagon says it has agreed with North Korea to resume — after a six-year break — the search for remains of US servicemen unaccounted for from the Korean War.

The deal was made on Thursday after three days of negotiations in Bangkok.

The US and North Korea began working together on the recovery of US war remains in 1996. But in 2005 the Bush administration called a halt, saying it was concerned for the safety of the US teams in North Korea.

The Korean war ended with an armistice in 1953.

The new searches are part of a broader US effort to improve relations with North Korea. Next week it plans to hold what the State Department calls exploratory talks with the North on its nuclear weapons program.

Bureau Report