Search in North Korea yields remains of American war dead

WASHINGTON -- U.S. search teams in North Korea recovered remains believed to be those of seven American soldiers missing in action from the Korean War, the Pentagon said Monday.

The remains were being flown on a U.S. Air Force plane from Pyongyang, North Korea's capital, to Yokota Air Base in Japan, where a repatriation ceremony will be Tuesday, officials said. They will be flown later to the Army's Central Identification Laboratory in Hawaii for forensic examination.

Six of the seven sets of remains were recovered near the Chosin Reservoir. The area was the scene of fierce battles in November and December 1950, when the 1st Marine Division was overwhelmed by a surprise Chinese army assault and was forced to withdraw under fire. Elements of the Army's 7th Infantry Division also fought and suffered losses there.

Pentagon officials have estimated that the Chosin area eventually could yield about 1,000 remains of American servicemen.

The seventh set of remains was recovered along the Chongchon River near the junction of Unsan and Kujang counties, about 60 miles north of Pyongyang. The area was the site of battles between the U.S. Army's 1st Cavalry and 25th Infantry Division and Chinese forces in November 1950.