WASHINGTON: An Air Force C-17 aircraft with remains of US service members who died in the Korean war has departed the North, the White House said today, suggesting the implementation of one of the agreements reached at the Trump-Kim summit in Singapore.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un had reached an agreement with President Donald Trump in Singapore on June 12 to turn over the remains of US service members fallen during the war.
White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said the C-17 aircraft was transferring the remains to Osan Air Base, where a formal repatriation ceremony will be held on August 1.
Sanders said the action represents a significant first step to recommence the repatriation of remains from North Korea and to resume field operations in North Korea to search for the estimated 5,300 Americans who have not yet returned home.
"At their historic meeting in Singapore, President Donald J Trump and Chairman Kim Jong Un took a bold first step to achieve the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, transform relations between the United States and North Korea, and establish enduring peace," Sanders said.
"Today, the chairman is fulfilling part of the commitment he made to the president to return our fallen American service members.
We are encouraged by North Korea's actions and the momentum for positive change," she said.