The Ministry of National Defense is set to conduct a joint underwater investigation with the US in an effort to find the wreckage of US fighter and transport aircraft that fell during the 1950-53 Korean War.
The Korean team will comprise some 40 members from the ministry's Agency for Killed in Action Recovery and Identification, known as MAKRI, and personnel from the South Korean Navy's 1st Fleet and the Air Force's 18th Fighter Wing. The US team will come from the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, or DPAA.
"We hope Korea-US cooperation in excavating the wreckage can further develop with this investigation," said Jeon Byeong-hee, who heads MAKRI.
The underwater project will start Wednesday in Yangyang, Gangwon Province, and continue until Aug. 11 with the support of the Navy's 1st Fleet.
The project will then move to nearby Gangneung from Aug. 12 to 25, where the DPAA's combat rubber reconnaissance craft will be deployed.
According to the Defense Ministry, the investigation will be conducted in two stages, with the first stage involving underwater detection equipment and uncrewed maritime systems.
In the second stage, divers or remote sensing vehicles will be deployed to investigate anomalies or remains detected in the previous stage.
The DPAA's underwater planners, underwater archaeologists and around 10 expert US Navy divers and engineers are set to be mobilized during the investigation.
The team will also be provided with weather forecasts from the Navy's 1st Fleet and the Korea Coast Guard, ensuring that operations are conducted only when safety and feasibility are guaranteed.
"We are fully prepared and determined to find the wreckage of the aircraft," Sgt. 1st Class David Craig, a DPAA diver, was quoted as saying by the Defense Ministry.
shwang9@heraldcorp.com
