Anchor: As U.S. President Donald Trump thanked North Korean leader Kim Jong-un for returning the remains of American soldiers killed during the Korean War, the U.S. defense secretary hinted that the U.S. is seeking to send teams to retrieve more bodies of fallen heroes. The Trump administration appears to face a dilemma as North Korea likely wants the U.S. to provide cash compensation for the excavation work. 
Kim Bum-soo has more. 

Report: 

[Sound bite: US President Donald Trump]
"At this moment a plane is carrying the remains of some great fallen heroes from America back from the Korean War.They're coming back to the United States."
 
Speaking outside the White House on Friday, U.S. President Donald Trump thanked North Korean leader Kim Jong-un for keeping his promise to return the remains of American soldiers killed during the Korean War.

[Sound bite: US President Donald Trump]
"And I want to thank Chairman Kim for keeping his word. We have many others coming. But I want to thank Chairman Kim in front of the media for fulfilling a promise that he made to me and I'm sure that he will continue to fulfill that promise as they search and search and search. These incredible American heroes will soon lay at rest on sacred American soil." 
"Mike Pence our wonderful Vice President will be there to greet the families and the remains..."  

After an official ceremony next week at a U.S. airbase in South Korea, the remains will be transferred to Hawaii where the U.S. vice president will stand by. There will be verification processes by the U.S. Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency. 
 
In the implementation of an agreement reached at the Trump-Kim summit last month, Pyongyang on Friday repatriated 55 sets of remains in flag-draped boxes. The remains of more than five-thousand U.S. servicemen are believed to be in North Korea.

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis acknowledged Friday the Pentagon could send military teams into North Korea to search for the remains.

Pentagon officials previously said North Korea had already excavated about 200 sets of remains of fallen American soldiers. North Korea experts suggested that the regime would want compensation for recovering the remains, which in turn could jeopardize the U.S.-led economic sanctions on North Korea.  

After vowing to continue putting ‘maximum pressure’ on the North until it is fully denuclearized, the Trump administration now faces a dilemma as it may have to make a deal with North Korea to continue the excavation work without appearing to make compromises. 
Kim Bum-soo, KBS World Radio News.