Remains believed to be those of two American soldiers missing in action from the Korean War will be returned to the United States Thursday.

The U.N. Command in South Korea said the remains will be turned over to U.S. military authorities at the border village of Panmunjom, and flown to the U.S. Army Central Identification Laboratory in Hawaii later in the day.

The remains were recovered by joint North Korea-U.S. excavation teams in old battle grounds in the northern reaches of the Communist country.

Since 1996, 30 such joint operations have been conducted in North Korea, during which more than 190 remains believed to be those of U.S. soldiers have been recovered.

More than 8,100 U.S. soldiers still remain unaccounted for from the Korean War that ended in 1953.