The United States government expressed frustration on Wednesday over North Korea's continued refusal to allow teams to recover the remains of American casualties from the Korean War. Despite numerous attempts to communicate with North Korea, there has been no response, leaving the US at the mercy of geopolitics.
It is estimated that 7,500 US service members are still missing from the Korean War, with 5,300 believed to be in North Korea. The Pentagon reports that approximately 37,000 Americans were killed during the war, with 8,000 still missing. The conflict lasted from June 1950 to July 1953 when the Korean Armistice Agreement was signed.
According to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA), over 81,500 Americans are still missing from various conflicts, including the Korean War, Vietnam War, Gulf War, Cold War, and World War II.
The DPAA director highlighted the lack of response from North Korea since March 2019, despite the country turning over 55 boxes of remains of US troops in July 2018 as a result of a meeting between former President Donald Trump and North Korea's Kim Jong Un in Singapore.
While efforts to identify the remains continue, many families are left without closure. The DPAA is working diligently, but the geopolitical situation with North Korea remains a significant obstacle.
In contrast, China has been cooperating with the US since January to recover remains in the country. Despite tensions, a DPAA team has been working in China, conducting surveys of World War II sites and engaging in archival exchanges. This cooperation is expected to provide answers to families of missing soldiers from World War II and the Korean War.
The current mission in China involves an excavation site in Hunan, with plans for further surveys at four sites related to Air Force losses from the Korean War. The cooperation from China is seen as a positive step towards providing closure to families who have been waiting for answers.
