N. Korea, U.S. look set for talks on remains recovery

WASHINGTON, Aug. 8 (Yonhap) -- North Korea and the United States are likely to resume talks on ways to recover the remains of American soldiers killed during the 1950-53 Korean War, an official said Monday.
The U.S. sent a letter inviting North Korean officials to the discussions as early as next month, according to the official at the Defense Prisoners of War/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO), affiliated with the Department of Defense.
The official, requesting anonymity, said the North first indicated it was open to restarting the talks, leading the U.S. to formally propose a meeting.
"North Korea has not responded yet to our offer, however," he said, adding an exact schedule and venue will depend on Pyongyang's response.
Nearly 8,000 U.S. soldiers are listed as missing from the war and the remains of more than half of them are estimated to be buried in the communist nation.
Joint recovery efforts between the Cold War foes came to a halt in 2005 after Washington took issue with the safety and security of its workers.
The move towards the resumption of the work came after the two sides had the first high-level talks on denuclearization and bilateral ties in 19 months in New York in late July.