DPRK: US responsible for failure to retrieve remains

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea rebutted the US explanation for suspending recovery of US soldiers' remains in the country, saying on Monday that the suspension was due to the US "brigandish hostile policy".

On Sept 19, US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel blamed the DPRK for the failure to resume unearthing the remains of the US troops killed in the 1950-53 Korean War when he addressed a commemorative ceremony for POWs.

A spokesman for the Panmunjom mission of the Korean People's Army said that it was the United States that suspended the unearthing of the remains.

The undesirable consequences were that the remains were left uncared for or carried away because of new construction projects, floods or land rezoning, the statement said.

The DPRK group responsible for the work had been disbanded for a long time due to the US unilateral measure of suspending the work, pursuant to the US administration's hostile policy to the DPRK, the statement added.

Since 1996, the two sides had recovered more than 200 bodies of fallen US soldiers in the DPRK territory.

On May 25, 2005, the US Department of Defense announced the suspension of the work due to the "security threat" from the DPRK.

About 8,000 US service members are listed as missing from the war, and about 5,300 of the missing are believed to be in the DPRK.

Xinhua - AP

(China Daily 10/14/2014 page11)