SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea says it will hand over to the United States what are believed to be the remains of an American soldier killed in the early days of the 1950-53 Korean War.
The Defense Ministry says the remains were excavated last year on a hill in the southern county of Yeongi, where U.S. troops fought invading North Korean troops in July 1950.
The ministry said Thursday an initial investigation together with U.S. officials found that the remains are likely to be those of a U.S. soldier.
It said the remains will be sent to a U.S. office in Hawaii to determine their identify.
The ministry says 36,940 U.S. soldiers died and about 3,740 are missing from the Korean War.
The U.S. fought on the South Korean side during the war.
Shares