On the 13th, North Korea, through a military official at
Panmunjeom, declared that suspension of efforts to excavate remains of US
soldiers dating back to the Korean War is due to the “hostile
policies” of the US. About 8,000 US service members are listed as
missing from the Korean War, and approximately 5,300 of them are believed to be in North
Korea.
The official made mention of comments last month on the
19th by US Secretary of Defense, Chuck Hagel, that place blame on North
Korea for not being able to resume the US military remains excavation
operation.
“The recovery of US military remains was conducted under the
request of the US government and human rights groups,” the official
stated, going on to cite the US as the root source of the suspension. “Even in an environment where the US persistently made
provocations toward North Korea, according to our unprecedented humanitarian
generosity, we conducted joint excavation operations for 10 years, beginning in
1996.”
The US suspended operations to recover the remains of the
soldiers in 2005, citing security
concerns. The recovery efforts picked up again in 2011 but were halted because
of North Korea’s plans to launch a long-range rocket the following year in
March.
Uriminjokkiri, the propaganda website
operated by the North Korean Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the
Fatherland also refuted Hagel’s accusations, stating, “It is not the fault of our nation, but
that of the US for making a ‘provocation’ of what was supposed
to be a peaceful satellite launching. This unilateral treatment is what led to
the suspension.”
However, the US is under increased pressure to recommence the efforts as
the official stated that a large number of the remains are “lying around
uncared for and being carried away en masse,” due to various land development projects and hydroelectric power
generation construction.
