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North Korea Returns the Body Of Downed U.S. Copter Pilot
North Korea today turned over the body of an American pilot who died when his helicopter went down four days ago north of the demilitarized zone, and indicated it would soon free the surviving pilot, Pentagon officials said.
After expressing impatience with North Korea's delay in returning the body, officials welcomed the move.
North Korean officials say they shot down the Army helicopter three miles north of the DMZ because it was engaged in spying. But the Administration insists the copter strayed on a routine training mission. American officials say they are not sure whether the copter, an OH-58C Kiowa, was shot down or made an emergency landing.
Some Administration officials say there appears to be a dispute between North Korea's Foreign Ministry, which seems eager to resolve the issue, and some military officials who appear ready to sow new tensions with the United States.
The incident has again strained relations, which had been on the mend after the two countries agreed in October to end a dispute over the North's nuclear weapons program.
North Korean military officials agreed to give back the body of the pilot, Chief Warrant Officer David Hilemon of Clarksville, Tenn., during a long meeting today in Panmunjom with American officials with the United Nations Military Command in South Korea.
The Pentagon said Representative Bill Richardson, a New Mexico Democrat who was visiting North Korea when the plane went down, arrived in the border village on Thursday morning Korean time with the body of the pilot. In a brief ceremony, the coffin was covered with a United Nations flag and a prayer was said for "comfort, peace and solace."
Mr. Richardson said he had not been allowed to meet with the surviving pilot, Chief Warrant Officer Bobby Hall of Brooksville, Fla. Nevertheless, he said, "Officer Bobby Hall will be returned shortly."
Pentagon officials said the body would be flown on Thursday to Travis Air Force Base, near Sacramento, Calif., for an autopsy.
The Administration and some members of Congress were clearly worried that North Korea might still delay releasing Mr. Hall.
"I would anticipate they'd want to use this as leverage of some kind," said Senator Frank H. Murkowski, the Alaska Republican, who is to head the Senate Subcommittee on East Asia.
Mr. Murkowski, who visited North Korea last week, suggested that some officials there might want to use the incident to scuttle the nuclear agreement with the United States. That agreement calls for North Korea to dismantle its weapons program, and for the United States and other countries to furnish it with $4 billion worth of light-water nuclear reactors. Spent fuel from such reactors is hard to turn into weapons-grade material.
North Korea today turned over the body of an American pilot who died when his helicopter went down four days ago north of the demilitarized zone, and indicated it would soon free the surviving pilot, Pentagon officials said.
After expressing impatience with North Korea's delay in returning the body, officials welcomed the move.
North Korean officials say they shot down the Army helicopter three miles north of the DMZ because it was engaged in spying. But the Administration insists the copter strayed on a routine training mission. American officials say they are not sure whether the copter, an OH-58C Kiowa, was shot down or made an emergency landing.
Some Administration officials say there appears to be a dispute between North Korea's Foreign Ministry, which seems eager to resolve the issue, and some military officials who appear ready to sow new tensions with the United States.
The incident has again strained relations, which had been on the mend after the two countries agreed in October to end a dispute over the North's nuclear weapons program.
North Korean military officials agreed to give back the body of the pilot, Chief Warrant Officer David Hilemon of Clarksville, Tenn., during a long meeting today in Panmunjom with American officials with the United Nations Military Command in South Korea.
The Pentagon said Representative Bill Richardson, a New Mexico Democrat who was visiting North Korea when the plane went down, arrived in the border village on Thursday morning Korean time with the body of the pilot. In a brief ceremony, the coffin was covered with a United Nations flag and a prayer was said for "comfort, peace and solace."
Mr. Richardson said he had not been allowed to meet with the surviving pilot, Chief Warrant Officer Bobby Hall of Brooksville, Fla. Nevertheless, he said, "Officer Bobby Hall will be returned shortly."
Pentagon officials said the body would be flown on Thursday to Travis Air Force Base, near Sacramento, Calif., for an autopsy.
The Administration and some members of Congress were clearly worried that North Korea might still delay releasing Mr. Hall.
"I would anticipate they'd want to use this as leverage of some kind," said Senator Frank H. Murkowski, the Alaska Republican, who is to head the Senate Subcommittee on East Asia.
Mr. Murkowski, who visited North Korea last week, suggested that some officials there might want to use the incident to scuttle the nuclear agreement with the United States. That agreement calls for North Korea to dismantle its weapons program, and for the United States and other countries to furnish it with $4 billion worth of light-water nuclear reactors. Spent fuel from such reactors is hard to turn into weapons-grade material.
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