President Trump on Friday thanked North Korean leader Kim Jong Un for “keeping his word” by returning to the U.S. what are believed to be the remains of 55 U.S. service members who died during the Korean War.
“I want to thank Chairman Kim for keeping his word. We have many others coming, but I want to thank Chairman Kim in front of the media for fulfilling a promise that he made to me, and I’m sure that he will continue to fulfill that promise as they search and search and search,” Trump said while delivering a statement on the economy at the White House.
The president said Vice President Mike Pence would greet the families of the American troops and the remains.
Kim committed to returning the remains of the fallen U.S. service members during a summit with Trump in Singapore last month.
The White House said late Thursday that U.S. Air Force C-17 aircraft headed to Wonsan, North Korea, to retrieve the remains. Pyongyang turned over to the U.S. the reported remains, and the military plane arrived at Osan Air Base in South Korea on Friday morning, where it was greeted by an honor guard.
A formal repatriation ceremony will be held in South Korea on Wednesday before the remains are sent to a military laboratory in Hawaii for analysis.
Trump said Friday he was often asked during the campaign by families of troops who served in the Korean War to assist them.
“These incredible American heroes will soon lay at rest on sacred American soil,” the president said.
More than 5,000 remains of U.S. service members are believed to be in North Korea.
