S. Korea, U.S. to hold joint war remains investigation in Pyeongchang

▲ This photo, provided by the South Korean defense ministry's Agency for KIA Recovery & Identification (MAKRI) on Nov. 20, 2023, shows MAKRI officials posing for a photo with officials from the U.S. Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency and the Australian Army's Unrecovered War Casualties team at MAKRI's office in southern Seoul on Nov. 13, 2023. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

S Korea-US-war remains

S. Korea, U.S. to hold joint war remains investigation in Pyeongchang

SEOUL, Nov. 20 (Yonhap) -- South Korea and the United States will hold joint investigations for the remains of fallen soldiers of the 1950-53 Korean War in the eastern counties of Pyeongchang and Hoengseong in April next year, Seoul's defense ministry said Monday.

The ministry's Agency for KIA Recovery & Identification and the U.S. Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency made the agreement in a five-day joint meeting with the Australian Army's Unrecovered War Casualties team in Seoul that began last Monday.

KIA stands for killed in action, while POW and MIA are acronyms for prisoners of war and missing in action, respectively.

During the meeting, South Korean and U.S. officials agreed for joint investigations in Pyeongchang, 131 kilometers east of Seoul, and neighboring Hoengseong among other locations as part of ongoing efforts to recover missing remains of U.S. soldiers killed during the war.

South Korean and Australian officials discussed ways for cooperation to search for remains in former battle sites where Australian troops fought during the war.

It marked the second meeting between the three sides since their inaugural session last year. The ministry said the three countries plan to hold the meeting on an annual basis.

The U.S. and Australia were among 22 countries that sent personnel to support South Korea under the U.N. flag during the three-year war, which ended in a cease-fire, not a peace treaty.

The U.S. deployed nearly 1.8 million troops during the war, with 36,940 being killed and 3,737 missing, according to the U.N. Command. Australia dispatched some 17,000 service members, with 340 being killed and 43 missing.

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