▲ John Figueres, senior operations officer at the U.S. Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA)
The U.S. Department of Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) stated on the 10th (local time) that it is prepared to deploy personnel to North Korea to resume the excavation of remains of U.S. service members if conditions become ripe.
It also emphasized the need to directly resume excavation work on site in North Korea, beyond simply receiving the remains held by North Korea.
John Figueres, a senior operations officer at the DPAA, made the remarks during a press briefing at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii, stating, "We have been directed to prepare so that we can go [to North Korea] when conditions are ripe."
He added, "We are ready, but [deployment] depends on how the situation unfolds."
"We have been instructed to prepare for deployment and are currently on standby," he explained, adding, "Whether to deploy depends on decisions at a higher level than us."
At the same time, he emphasized that the DPAA has always maintained preparations to resume the remains excavation work in North Korea.
When asked if there are any signs indicating the possibility of resumed cooperation on remains excavation with North Korea, he pointed to the recent discussions surrounding the potential for North Korea-U.S. dialogue.
"If you look at what stories are being discussed in the news, that is at least one sign that it [the possibility of dialogue] is being discussed," Figueres said, adding, "Just a few years ago, we weren't talking about that [possibility of dialogue] at all."
The remarks during the briefing are drawing attention because, amid U.S. President Donald Trump expressing his willingness to resume dialogue with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on multiple occasions, the defense agency responsible for recovering U.S. remains in North Korea is preparing for the actual possibility of resumption.
Previously, DPAA Director Kelly McKeague also revealed that he had received an inquiry from the White House regarding what actions the DPAA could take if President Trump reached an agreement with leader Kim Jong-un.
At that time, Director McKeague explained that he responded to the White House inquiry by stating that the agency is "ready" to cooperate with North Korea to recover the remains of U.S. service members who were killed or went missing in action during the Korean War, and suggested the resumption of joint field search activities.
However, when asked whether there were any subsequent instructions or measures from the White House after Director McKeague made these facts public, Figueres said, "Not to my knowledge."
In July 2018, when the mood for North Korea-U.S. dialogue was ripe, the DPAA received approximately 250 sets of remains contained in 55 boxes from North Korea and has been conducting identification work, having identified 110 U.S. service members to date.
Among them, about 90 were determined to be the remains of South Korean soldiers who fought alongside U.S. forces and were repatriated to South Korea, while identification work continues for about 50 remaining sets of remains.
Dr. Jean Jin, who has overseen projects related to Korean War missing persons at the DPAA, emphasized the necessity of resuming remains excavation, stating, "Knowing that remains are left in North Korea, we first want to recover the remains and then go there ourselves to carry out the recovery mission."
Furthermore, mentioning North Korean geographic names such as the Chosin Reservoir, the Chongchon River, Kujang, Unsan, and prisoner-of-war camps near the Yalu River, she said, "I hope we can enter North Korea, focusing on the areas where the highest numbers of U.S. service members went missing."
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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