2011-08-19 13:20

PYONGYANG - The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) said Friday it agreed to hold talks with the United States over recovering the remains of US soldiers killed in the war on the Korean Peninsula in the 1950s.

A spokesman with DPRK's foreign ministry said the talks were proposed by the United States through "an appropriate channel", DPRK's official KCNA news agency reported.

The DPRK accepted the US proposal in a spirit of "humanitarianism," said the spokesman, adding that preparations for the talks have been underway.

In 1996, the first group of the US specialists were allowed to work with DPRK side in recovering the remains of US soldiers killed during the 1950-1953 war.

The excavation work was suspended in May 2005 when the DPRK refused to let the United States install satellite communications equipment. And during the nine-year period, the remains of more than 200 US soldiers were recovered.

Overseas reports say that over 8,100 US soldiers are still listed missing. Presumably, the remains of some 2,000 soldiers were buried in the Republic of Korea (ROK), while the rest were in major battle fields in DPRK such as the Chosin Lake area and Unsan, as well as the demilitarized zone.