싱가폴 회담후, 한국전 당시 미군 유해 송환시작, 첫번째 유품 어제 주한 미군기지 도착, 환영한다.
한군전 당시, 실종 됐었거나 사망했던, 미군유해 55구가 어제 평양을 떠나 주한 미군기지에 도착 했다고 한다. 학수고대하고 기다리던 가족들의 품에 안기게 됐다. 미군들의 유해는 앞으로도 계속해서, 큰 이변이 없는한, 계속될 것으로 보인다. 많은 조건부적 꼬리표가 달려있긴 하지만.
휴전협정 65주년에 즈음하여, 송환되기 시작한 것인데, 유품들은 조그만 나무상자에 들어 있으며, 성조기로 하나 하나 감싸여 있었다.
6/25참전 미군용사는, 이광경을 보면서 언급하기를,
"이러한 작전은 상징적이면서도, 잊지않고 끝까지 인내하고 노력해온 극히 감정어린 조치로 본다"라고. "This is an emotional and symbolic gesture,"
지난 6월초 싱가폴에서 Trump와 김정은 간의 역사적 만남에서 합의한 4개의 사항중 첫번째 결과물인 셈이다. 이회담이 끝난후, 많은 전문가들은 프럼프를 비난해 왔었다. 알맹이 없는 허구의 나열이었었다고. 그러나 결과는 그반대로 나타나기 시작했는데, 의미가 있는것 같다.
대한민국 병사는 더 많이 그대로 이북에 있는데, 한마디의 언급도 없었고, 특히 4/27 판문점 선언에서도 일체의 언급이 없었다. 대신에 하는짖이라고는, 일방적으로 GP 병력 후방으로 빼내고, 중화기 무기도 철수 시키고, 대북 교육용 확성기 철거 뿐이었다. 참 많이 비교된다.
한국의 언론들은 이 광경을 재조명해서 국민들에게 진실을 알려 줬으면 좋으련만, 이시간 현재 한국의 언론은 일체의 언급이 없었다.
아래 기사를 참조해서 그의미를 더 음미해봐야 겠다.
North Korea has returned remains believed to be of 55 US troops killed during the Korean War, bringing renewed hope to families who have waited decades for closure.
The return of the remains, brought to a US base in South Korea, is the latest move in the cautious diplomacy between Washington and Pyongyang.
The repatriation was agreed at the June summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korea's Kim Jong-un.
It is hoped more will follow.
"It's hard to live your life not knowing what happened to your loved one," the daughter of one missing serviceman told the BBC ahead of Friday's news.
The Singapore summit, where Mr Trump and Mr Kim agreed to work towards the "complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula", has been criticised for a lack of detail on when or how Pyongyang would renounce nuclear weapons.
But the return of US remains was one of four points actually listed in that June declaration, and comes on the 65th anniversary of the signing of the armistice that ended the 1950-1953 Korean War.
It is believed that 55 soldiers have been returned this time, but their remains will need to be forensically tested to ensure they are indeed slain US troops - and it's possible the identification process could take years.
John Zimmerlee, the son of a US serviceman who is among the missing, told the BBC there was no guarantee these were the remains of American soldiers.
Mr Zimmerlee, the founder of the Korean War Prisoners Of War and Missing In Action Network, said: "Keep in mind that these 55 remains that are coming back, these are people that they [North Korea] suspected were their enemy during the (Korean) war - not necessarily Americans.
"They could be British, they could be Australians, Belgians - could be a lot of different people."
'An emotional and symbolic gesture'
By Laura Bicker, BBC Seoul correspondent, Osan air base
The small wooden caskets were draped in the UN flag and carried carefully one by one from the aircraft onto US soil.
Hundreds of US soldiers and some of their families from the Osan base came to salute and line the route of their final journey.
Before the ceremony they'd been told they would be watching a key moment in history. They stood silently and watched.
Earlier I'd asked Korean War veterans from the US and the UK what this meant to them. Amazing news, they told me.
"This is an emotional and symbolic gesture," said another.
Why are US remains in North Korea?
More than 326,000 Americans fought alongside soldiers from South Korea and a UN coalition during the war to support the South against the Communist North.
Thousands of US military personnel from the Korean war remain unaccounted for and most of them - about 5,300 - were lost in what is now North Korea.
The missing US soldiers are among around 33,000 coalition troops still unaccounted for.
The remains are believed to be located at:
prisoner of war camps - many perished during the winter of 1950
the sites of major battles, such as the areas around Unsan and Chongchon in the north-west of the country - said to contain approximately 1,600 dead
temporary UN military cemeteries - China and North Korea returned about 3,000 dead Americans in an effort called Operation Glory in 1954, but others remain
the demilitarised zone that separates North and South Korea - said to contain 1,000 bodies
Between 1990 and 2005, 229 sets were returned, but this halted as relations deteriorated with the development of North Korea's nuclear ambitions.
What happens now?
A US military aircraft took the remains to the US base at Osan in South Korea where, according to the White House, a repatriation ceremony will be held on 1 August after some initial testing.
The remains will then be brought to the US to undergo thorough forensic testing.
The Remains of American Servicemen will soon be leaving North Korea and heading to the United States! After so many years, this will be a great moment for so many families. Thank you to Kim Jong Un.
The White House said it was "a solemn obligation of the United States Government to ensure that the remains are handled with dignity and properly accounted for so their families receive them in an honorable manner".
What has the reaction been?
The US government said it was "encouraged by North Korea's actions and the momentum for positive change".
The return of the dead soldiers was "a significant first step to recommence the repatriation of remains from North Korea and to resume field operations in North Korea to search for the estimated 5,300 Americans who have not yet returned home".
It is thought North Korea has about 200 sets of remains collected already.
What about North Korea's wider intentions?
The 12 June summit between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un saw both sides speak with ambition about concrete steps to improve relations but experts have cast doubt on whether Pyongyang is genuine in its apparent commitment to "denuclearise".
There's also been little clarity about what exactly the two sides mean by "complete denuclearisation" and no details on a timeline for this to take place.
Nevertheless, Friday's repatriation will likely be seen as a concrete goodwill gesture after years of efforts by relatives and US authorities to retrieve the remains.
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