The United States and North Korea have reached agreement on a framework for 2005 to recover remains of American soldiers missing from the Korean War (1950-1953).

The agreement was reached in Bangkok, Thailand, on Thursday after two days of talks.

The operations in 2005 would mark the 10th consecutive year that US specialists have carried out remains recovery missions in North Korea, where teams from the US Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command have recovered remains believed to be those of more than 200 American soldiers since 1996.

Under the arrangement, US teams would work between April and October in two areas in North Korea - in Unsan County, about 96 km north of Pyongyang, and near the Chosin Reservoir in the northeast part of North Korea - to search for the remains of more than 2,000 soldiers and Marines who are still registered as missing.

Of 88,000 Americans missing from all conflicts, more than 8,100 are from the Korean War.

(Xinhua News Agency November 20, 2004)