Newly found remains thought to be some of the 8,100 U.S. service members missing in action from the Korean War are scheduled to be repatriated to U.S. control later this month.

The Department of Defense announced Friday, Oct. 8, that the remains had been recovered by two teams of U.S. specialists during the fifth and final recovery operation in North Korea this year. It was not clear how many missing service members the remains represent. The DOD officials said in a news release that “follow-on forensic examinations” would be needed to make that determination.

The Defense POW/Missing personnel office led the negotiations with North Korea that resulted in 32 joint recovery operations, which began in 1996. Remains of more than 200 soldiers have been recovered. There are an estimated 88,000 U.S. service members missing in action from all U.S. conflicts.

The newly found remains will be repatriated to U.S. control overland across the demilitarized zone, as was done for the first four recovery operations in 2004. They are scheduled to arrive at Yongsan Military Compound in Seoul Oct. 15.

Following the repatriation ceremony in Seoul, the remains will be flown to Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii where the forensic identification process will take place.

For additional information about POW/MIA recoveries, visit dtic.mil/dpmo on the Web, or call the Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office at (703) 699-1169.