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Trump Thanks Kim for 'Keeping His Word,' Returning Remains of US Service Members

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - US President Donald Trump said in a press briefing on Friday that he wanted to thank North Korean leader Kim Jong Un for fulfilling his promise and returning the remains of some US service members who were killed in Korea.
Sputnik

"I want to thank Chairman Kim for keeping his word. We have many others coming, but I want to thank Chairman Kim in front of the media for fulfilling a promise that he made to me and I’m sure that he will continue to fulfill that promise as they search and search and search," Trump told reporters.

Kim agreed at the June 12 summit with Trump in Singapore to help the United States recover remains of fallen US service members and prisoners of war.

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Earlier on Friday, a US airplane carried the remains to Osan Air Base in South Korea from the North Korean port of Wonsan earlier. Media reports said there were 55 sets of remains.

A formal repatriation ceremony will be held at the base on August 1, then the remains will be transported to the US state of Hawaii for forensic identification.

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Trump said that Vice President Mike Pence would be with the families of the fallen soldiers when the remains are returned to the United States.

On June 12, Trump and Kim met in Singapore during their first official summit meeting. The two officials signed an agreement saying North Korea will denuclearize in exchange for a freeze on the US-South Korean military drills and potential sanctions relief. The White House did not specify any deadlines on carrying fulfilling the agreed on items.

After the meeting, the US president added that he established a very good relationship with Kim, despite media criticism at the beginning of the summit negotiations.

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