The Department of Defense is beginning the long and difficult task of identifying the remains turned over to the United States from North Korea.
The 55 cases of remains will be thoroughly examined by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) at their laboratory at Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii in an attempt to identify all the individuals recently turned over to the United States and Sound Korea.
Forensic experts who focus on identifying lost American service personnel will use dental records and mitochondrial DNA to identify the fallen, the Department of Defense announced.
However, those experts will have a tough path ahead, as the remains dating back to the 1950-1953 conflict have not been processed in an ideal way. North Korea did not take any information on where the remains were found or what items were nearby, which would have helped the DPAA in the identification process. Some of the remains may prove not to be American, but may instead belong to service members from other allied countries who participated in the war against North Korea and China.
The remains were turned over after President Donald Trump's Singapore summit with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. Trump has spoken frequently about the desire to have as many remains of American service members returned as possible.
Many Americans who went missing were prisoners of war who died before the war ended or were left behind during enemy advancements. Many were buried either where they fell on the battlefield or near prison camps.
7,699 Americans are still listed as missing from the Korean War. During the conflict, 36,940 Americans were killed and another 92,134 were wounded.