Bringing Heroes Home: U.S. Efforts to Identify Korean War Remains

The U.S. defense authorities reported that they have identified 93 U.S. servicemen and 88 South Korean soldiers from the 55 boxes of human remains, called “K55,” that North Korea handed over in 2018.

According to a report by Voice of America (VOA), Kristen Grow, the DPAA Korean War Identification Project (KWIP) lead, stated in an annual briefing that about 250 individuals are represented within the K55 remains and said: “We have identified 93 U.S. service members from that assemblage to date.”

Grow added that within the K55 remains, an additional 88 South Korean soldiers have also been repatriated to South Korea. 

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) estimates that 7,491 U.S. servicemen went missing during the Korean War, with over 5,300 believed to be in North Korea.

Kelly McKeague pointed out that North Korea has shown no response ahead of the DPAA’s annual family briefing for missing persons, which took place over two days on the 15th and 16th. He stated, “We remain ready to go back to North Korea, as we did for 10 years. We remain ready to use this as a diplomacy tool, a humanitarian effort.”

He also noted, “It’s remarkable that we have a DPAA team in China today, despite the bilateral tensions, working to look for answers for World War II families, as well as Korean War families, whose loved ones are missing from those wars that are in China.”