WASHINGTON, June 10 (UPI) -- The United States and North Korea have agreed on dates for the joint recovery of remains of U.S. soldiers from the Korean War, the Defense Department said Monday.
Three 30-day operations were agreed on Sunday, beginning July 20 and winding up Oct. 29.
Remains of 152 U.S. soldiers have been recovered in 22 joint recovery operations since 1996, according to a statement by the Defense Department.
The areas focused on have been 60 miles north of Pyongyang, the North Korean capital, where hundreds of U.S. soldiers died in November 1950; and the Choisen Reservoir, a rugged, mountainous border with China, which saw some of the most extensive small unit fighting in the war in the winter of the same year. The U.S. Army and Marines battled Chinese forces in both areas.
Jerry D. Jennings, deputy assistant secretary of defense for POWs and MIAs, concluded negotiations with the North Koreans in Bangkok over a three-day stretch, the Defense Department said.
U.S. teams are slated to survey sites for base camp for joint operations in the near future.
