The U.S. Defense Department plans to offer some $5.7 million to North Korea for a project to search for and excavate the remains of the U.S. war dead in the communist country, Washington-based Radio Free Asia reported on Thursday.

Citing an email message from Pentagon’s publicity officer Carie Parker, it said that the money will be used to establish base camps for the work in North Pyongan Province and South Hamgyeong Province and also cover overhead expenses.

Parker also said that the amount of money is the same as what the U.S. offered for excavation works in Vietnam and Laos.

The U.S. reportedly plans to carry out the work to recover the remains of its troops, who were killed in the North during the 1950-53 Korean War, four times between spring and fall next year.

Since 1996, the U.S. has recovered the remains of some 220 soldiers through its excavation works.

Since 2005, it has suspended the work because of concerns over the security of its personnel there. But the U.S. and the North agreed to resume the work after their talks in Thailand last month.

By Song Sang-ho
(sshluck@heraldcorp.com)