​​​​​​​ANKARA

The US and South Korea agreed to beef up cooperation in searching for and repatriating the remains of soldiers killed in the Korean War, Seoul-based Yonhap News reported on Monday.

The commitment was reached during annual talks between the South Korean Defense Ministry's Agency for KIA (Killed in Action) Recovery and Identification with the US Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) in Washington last week.

The two sides agreed to focus on cooperation in the search and excavation of fallen soldiers from each country, as well as in forensic identification efforts.

They also discussed the timing of planned repatriations of seven remains from the US and three from South Korea next year.

Both sides agreed to repatriate the remains of four Turkish soldiers, currently held by the DPAA, to South Korea later this month, where they will be laid to rest at the UN Memorial Cemetery in Korea in the southeastern city of Busan in November.

The US and South Korea have been holding the meeting annually since 2011 to accelerate cooperation in search operations for the remains of fallen soldiers from the 1950 - 53 Korean War.

*Writing by Aamir Latif