Families of British personnel killed or missing in Korean war asked to provide DNA samples to assist identification
The Ministry of Defence is appealing to the families of British personnel killed or missing in the Korean war to help with identification after the remains of troops were released 65 years after the end of the conflict.
The North Korean government, as a result of the summit between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un in June, handed over 55 bodies last week and the US is hoping Pyongyang will cooperate in a search for more.
British veterans welcomed the MoD move but anticipated, given the length of time that has elapsed, finding families could be problematic.
The US expectation is that, as the biggest contributor to the United Nations force, most of the bodies will be American. But some could be British or from one of the other allied countries.
The MoD is asking the families to provide DNA samples. These would be posted to the US, which is building a DNA database to help identify the thousands of American and allied troops still missing.
About 100,000 British troops served in the 1950-53 Korean war as part of a UN operation. More than 1,000 were killed; the bodies of an estimated 295 have still to be accounted for.
The MoD says any British personnel handed over would be given military funerals at the UN cemetery in Busan, South Korea.
