North Korea says it has unearthed the remains of U.S. soldiers who died during the Korean War.

In a statement issued by a spokesman for the North's representatives to the truce village of Panmunjeom on Monday, the North said that U.S. soldiers’ remains had been discovered recently during a land rezoning project.

The spokesman said that the North notified the U.S. of the finding and asked that related measures be devised but that no response was given.

The statement said that the North bears no responsibility for the return of the remains, warning that if the U.S. fails to respond to a request for joint excavation work, the North wouldn't care if the remains are lost during land rezoning projects.

Earlier in January, the North and the U.N. Command held working-level talks at Panmunjeom on the issue of joint excavations of U.S. soldiers’ remains on request from the North. The talks failed to yield any significant progress.