US expecting North Korea to return troop remains in coming days

Washington (CNN)The Trump administration is expecting North Korea to return up to 200 sets of remains believed to be US servicemembers who died during the Korean War, according to four administration officials.

Planning is underway to receive the remains from North Korea in the coming days, although the actual transfer date and location have not been finalized, the officials say. They add that the administration is ready to receive the remains as early as this week if the North Koreans decide to move quickly.

It is not known if the dog tags, remains of military uniforms, identification cards or other personal affects might be included, officials say. However, the US military has strict procedures for DNA matching before any American military families are notified that their loved ones remains have been found.
When the transfer happens, it is expected that North Korean officials will turn them over to United Nations representatives at the DMZ, which marks the border between North and South Korea. The UN at that point will turn them over to US military personnel for a brief ceremony.
Remains are then transferred to a military laboratory in Hawaii for DNA matching and identification.
One official said it is possible the White House could still decide to send an envoy directly to Pyongyang to collect the remains and escort them back to the military laboratory for DNA analysis. LINK