DPRK returns remains of US war dead

SEOUL: A US military aircraft flew the remains of more than 50 American servicemen out of North Korea on Friday, prompting a personal "thank you" from Donald Trump to Kim Jong Un.

The return of the remains -- on the 65th anniversary of the end of the Korean War -- marks the partial fulfilment of an agreement reached between the US president and North Korea’s leader at their historic summit in Singapore last month.

"After so many years, this will be a great moment for so many families. Thank you to Kim Jong Un," Trump said in a tweet. The White House said it was "encouraged" by the return of the remains and the "momentum for positive change".

"Today’s actions represent 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," it said.

After leaving the North Korean port city of Wonsan, the C-17 cargo plane landed at the Osan US Air Base in South Korea, where American soldiers stood in ceremonial ranks. The plane -- which had 55 sets of remains on board, according to the United Nations Command (UNC) in South Korea -- came to a halt next to a group of 10 honour guards carrying the flags of the UN, the US and South Korea.

After the rear door was opened, other uniformed guards went aboard and re-emerged each carrying in their arms a box draped in a white-and-blue UN flag. They then slowly walked to awaiting vans, put the boxes in the vehicles and saluted, before the vans left the scene.

"It was a successful mission following extensive coordination," General Vincent Brooks, commander of the UNC and United States Forces Korea, said in a statement. "Now, we will prepare to honour our fallen before they continue on their journey home." More than 35,000 Americans were killed on the Korean Peninsula during the war, out of which around 7,700 are still considered missing, including 5,300 in North Korea alone, according to the Pentagon.