As part of  steps towards implementing an agreement reached in the historic June summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, the DPRK on Friday returned the remains of 55 United States soldiers killed in the Korean War to American soil.

Pyongyang transferred 55 small cases draped with the American flag and carrying the suspected remains of the soldiers missing in the 1950 – 53 conflict. This is one development which is largely seen by diplomatic observers to be  a modest diplomatic coup for President Donald Trump as it was one of the agreements reached during the Singapore meeting, aimed primarily at securing the denuclearization of North Korea.

A US Air Force plane carrying the remains of the soldiers flew into the Osan Air Base in South Korea on Friday morning even as a repatriation ceremony has been scheduled for Wednesday at Osan.

“Today, Kim Jong-Un is fulfilling part of the commitment he made to the President to return our fallen American service members. We are encouraged by North Korea’s actions and the momentum for positive change,” the White House said in a statement.

Trump also dedicated a tweet to the North Korean leader to personally express his gratitude.

He said: “After so many years, this will be a great moment for so many families. Thank you to Kim Jong Un.”

Friday’s repatriation marks the 56th anniversary of the armistice that ended the Korean War which claimed the lives of thousands of US servicemen, hundreds of thousands of Chinese and Korean soldiers and over a million civilians.