With President Donald Trump getting ready to meet with the leader of the North Korean regime next week, a congressman from Florida is calling on the president to push Kim Jong-un for the remains of American military personnel who are still missing from the Korean War.
On Thursday, as Trump readies to meet the North Korean dictator in Vietnam, U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla.. noted that the fates of more than 5,000 POWs held by North Korea during the war remain unaccounted for.
“In advance of your meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un next week, I urge you to demand the swift and complete repatriation of thousands of American soldiers killed in the Korean War” Buchanan wrote Trump. “While your overall goal of dismantling North Korea's nuclear program is of paramount importance and cannot be overlooked, I hope that you will use this occasion to press the North Korean leader to renew his country’s efforts to identify, recover and return the remains of our service members still missing from the war. And while I commend you for ensuring that some progress has been made with the remains of 55 Americans returning home this past summer following your summit with Kim last year, much more work needs to be done. In fact, of the 36,000 American soldiers that died in the war, it is believed that there are still more than 5,000 U.S. prisoners of war and service members missing in action in North Korea.
“As you know, prior to the recent return of remains this summer, it had been more than 13 years since North Korea last returned remains of American troops missing from the Korean War. Between 1996 and 2005, joint U.S.-North Korea efforts to recover remains of U.S. soldiers resulted in the remains of 229 American soldiers being returned. However, search efforts were halted in 2005 due to ongoing threats to the safety of Americans involved,” Buchanan added.
“The families of our fallen service members have already waited more than half a century for the bodies of their loved ones to be returned. They should not be forced to wait any longer,” Buchanan continued. “These missing soldiers represent all five branches of the military and all 50 states, including many from my home state of Florida. It is imperative that Pyongyang faithfully follows through on its commitment to repatriate their remains and that these efforts are expedited without further delay. I thank you for your steadfast commitment and service to our brave men and women in uniform and look forward to your response on this important matter.”
First elected to Congress in 2006, Buchanan is one of the cochairmen of the Florida delegation. He sits on the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee.
