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Gen. Leon J. LaPorte, commander of the United States Forces Korea (USFK), offers flowers at a ceremony marking U.S. Memorial Day and the repatriation of the remains of soldiers missing in action in North Korea in the Korean War, at the 8th U.S. Army¡¯s Knight Field in Yongsan on Thursday.
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 U.S. Finds More Remains of Missing GIs in N.Korea
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The U.S. Defense Department on Wednesday suspended a search in North Korea for the remains of U.S. soldiers missing in action during the Korean War, on the same day it announced it will send 15 stealth F-117 fighter-bombers for exercises to South Korea. Observers say the two seemingly unrelated measures are a bid to crank up pressure on the reclusive country over its nuclear program.
"North Korea has, over the last several weeks, created an atmosphere and an environment unconducive to the continued presence of American personnel in North Korea," a Pentagon official said. He added the suspension came because of uncertainty brought about by North Korea's failure to rejoin six-party nuclear disarmament talks, the recent confirmation that it intends to develop nuclear weapons and its tearing up of the Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Yonhap News said the measures came on orders from Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. The news agency said they were precautionary measure in case the nuclear dispute reaches crisis point, when growing support for economic sanctions against Pyongyang would make the dozens of U.S. military personnel in conducting excavations in North Korea vulnerable to being held hostage.
Since 1996, the U.S. has excavated the remains of about 220 U.S. soldiers killed during the Korean War. It had planned a second round of excavations starting May 28 after a first round just concluded.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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