Korean War remains arrive on U.S. soil

North Korea has returned what are believed to be the remains of U.S. servicemen killed during the Korean War. Vice President Mike Pence and Adm. Phil Davidson, the top commander of U.S. forces in Asia, received the remains contained in 55 caskets Wednesday at Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam in Hawaii. “They were husbands and fathers, brothers and neighbors—long gone, but never lost to the memory of their loved ones,” Pence said at the ceremony. Once officials use DNA samples to identify the remains, they’ll turn them over to the families of the fallen servicemen.

North Korea returned the remains as part of an agreement struck between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at their June summit in Singapore. Trump thanked Kim in a tweet Wednesday night for keeping his word and for his “nice letter.” White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the new letter was “aimed at following up on their meeting in Singapore and advancing the commitments made in the U.S.-DPRK joint statement.” Trump concluded his tweet by telling Kim, “I look forward to seeing you soon.” The letter arrives amid new concerns over North Korea’s commitment to denuclearization.