U.S., S. Korean experts team up to identify Korean War remains

By Sam Kim

SEOUL, Sept. 8 (Yonhap) -- Expanding cooperation in joint efforts to find soldiers missing from the Korean War, U.S. and South Korean military forensic experts teamed up Tuesday to share know-how on identifying human remains, officials here said.

Three American experts, including Maj. Lisa Franklin, have arrived from the
Hawaii-based U.S. Joint Prisoners of War, Missing in Action Accounting Command
(JPAC) and have begun to work with South Korean experts, the officials said.
"They will stay here for three weeks, holding discussions with South Korean
experts and helping us improve our skills in excavation and identification," Maj.
You Young-seung said. "They will also receive up-do-date information on our
excavation efforts and skills."
In July, the remains of an American soldier killed in the 1950-53 Korean War were
handed over to the United States after being discovered by a joint team of
American and South Korean excavators.
The handover marked the second time this year that the remains of a U.S. soldier
killed in the conflict had been repatriated.
About 8,100 American soldiers remain unaccounted for from the war that ended in a
truce. Many of them are believed to be buried on the North Korean side of the
peninsula.
South Korea has discovered the remains of about 2,500 of its soldiers who died
during the war.
The U.S., which fought alongside South Korea under the U.N. command, maintains a
force of some 28,500 troops in South Korea as a deterrent against North Korea.
samkim@yna.co.kr
(END)