Army Bob: Dealing with North Korea is always difficult

The government of Socialist North Korea is said to be returning the remains of 55 Americans (perhaps some of other United Nations forces, not Americans) who gave their lives in winning the Cold War, 1946 to 1991. I have always believed the Cold War was the big picture, and that the battles we fought in Korea were a part of that victory. My view,  most others differ.

The North Koreans are trained from birth to hate Americans and worship the god leader Kim, so they are not inclined to return the bodies of American Marines, soldiers, sailors and airmen they find.

The good folks in South Korea have a different view of Americans service members; the South Koreans are very grateful and hold Korean War veterans in the highest esteem. So, in that light allow me tell you a story.

In 1983, I was working in my office in Seoul, South Korea, and the special agent in-charge of our Camp John U.D. Page Resident Agency called and said he was approached in a local bar by a Korean man who wants to sell the dog tags (Identification Tags) of a dead American to him along with the location of the remains. The question to me was, what should he do? Well not a situation we were trained to handle; I had to tell him I would get back to him.

As the entire action was conducted in a non-American jurisdiction and the man was a Korean national, I called Major Kim, my South Korean National Police counterpart, who immediately became more than a bit angry. He asked for the seller’s name and location, which I provided. The next day the remains were returned to American military control with great honor and respect.

The Korean national who attempted to sell the remains of an American Korean War veteran was also present to apologize for his actions. The man was worse for wear, as the National Police were less than kind to him; no doubt in my military mind they used “enhanced interrogation techniques” to get him to admit his crime and provide the location of the remains. To dishonor and profit from the death and disrespect the remains of an American veteran killed in the Korean War is an offense the South Koreans do not look lightly on.

The large number of Americans whose remains are in the North number in the thousands, especially around the Chosin Reservoir; it is time to bring them home. The sad part is that the North Korean people are trained to hate Americans. The Korean Police Action, as it was stupidly called by some, has not ended. Keeping the war going is in the best interests of the North Korean government; having a common enemy is a good way to oppress individual freedoms.

The deep hatred from both sides in World War II is subsiding; indeed, we find groups established to honor their ancestors who were in the Nazi Schutzstaffel (SS), both branches, the Allgemeine-SS and even the Waffen-SS, both brutal fanatical National Socialists.

The North Koreans are educated from birth to hate Americans, and to a lesser degree the United Nations Troops from:

South Korea – 590,911

United States – 302,483

Australia – 17,000

United Kingdom – 14,198

Thailand – 6,326

Canada – 6,146

Turkey – 5,453

Philippines – 1,468

New Zealand – 1,385

Ethiopia – 1,271

Greece – 1,263

France – 1,119

Colombia – 1,068

Belgium – 900

South Africa – 826

Netherlands – 819

Luxembourg – 44

The North Koreans will not surrender the remains of men they classify as war criminals out of the goodness of their hearts, but for profit. If President Trump can get the North Koreans to deal honestly and in good faith it would be nothing short of a miracle; I wish him luck.