US Korean War dead heading home at last

Sixty-five years after the Korean War ended, the remains of dozens of American soldiers killed during the brutal conflict are finally coming home.

Yesterday's repatriation marks an important step after US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un held a summit, during which Kim agreed to send home the war dead.

Trump, who has faced criticism over the pace of progress since the June meeting, praised Kim for "keeping his word," and Vice President Mike Pence is set to meet families when the remains arrive back in the US at a ceremony in Hawaii.

Caskets carrying the 55 sets of remains were draped in the blue-and-white flag of the United Nations. Many nations fought in the Korean War, but most of the cases are thought to contain US troops.

More than 35,000 Americans were killed on the Korean peninsula during the 1950-1953 war, with 7,700 of these US troops still listed as missing in action -- most of them in North Korea.

It could take scientists and historians years to make final identifications.

John Byrd, director of scientific analysis at the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA), which has a large laboratory in Pearl Harbor, said preliminary findings suggest the remains are likely American.

They "are consistent with remains we have recovered in North Korea... in the past," Byrd told reporters at Osan US Air Base in South Korea.

The cases had been kept there since Friday, awaiting their repatriation to Hawaii for further forensic analysis.

"There's no reason at this point to doubt that they do relate to Korean War losses," Byrd added.

Around 500 officials from the United Nations Command (UNC), the United States and South Korea attended a formal repatriation ceremony at Osan yesterday.

"This is a solemn reminder that our work is not complete until all have been accounted for, no matter how long it takes to do so," said General Vincent Brooks, commander of the UNC and United States Forces Korea.

After the ceremony, uniformed soldiers carefully loaded each case into two C-17 cargo planes, which later took off for Hawaii.

Byrd told reporters that "there was a single dog tag (US soldier's identity tag) provided with the remains."