South Korea and the United States have launched a joint task force to track down the remains of US service members killed in action or missing during the Korean War.
The Ministry of National Defense Agency for KIA Recovery and Identification (MAKRI) said it will conduct joint surveys with the US Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) for one month starting Wednesday across six regions, including Hongcheon-gun in Gangwon Province, Yangpyeong-gun in Gyeonggi Province, Changwon City in South Gyeongsang Province, Mungyeong and Sangju cities in North Gyeongsang Province, and Yeongdong-gun in North Chungcheong Province.
In Hongcheon-gun and Yangpyeong-gun, the US 2nd Infantry Division suffered 13 missing personnel and 37 killed or missing personnel, respectively, during Chinese forces' offensives in February and May 1951.
Changwon City was the site of the Battle of Masan, while Yeongdong-gun was where the Yeongdong-Kimcheon Battle took place. Surveys in these areas will be conducted based on testimonies from residents who witnessed or buried fallen US soldiers.
Mungyeong and Sangju cities are the regions where 10 personnel of the US 25th Infantry Division went missing while conducting delaying operations to establish the Nakdong River defense line in July 1950. The follow-up survey will be carried out after an initial investigation in June last year.
