Gangneung: South Korea and the United States have commenced a collaborative underwater excavation effort off the eastern coast to locate wreckage of U.S. aircraft lost during the 1950-53 Korean War, as reported by Seoul's defense ministry. This operation, which will continue until August 28, focuses on areas in Gangneung and Yangyang within Gangwon Province, and involves the ministry's Agency for KIA Recovery and Identification alongside the U.S. Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA).

According to Yonhap News Agency, around 40 individuals are participating in this project, including members from the South Korean Navy's First Fleet and the Air Force's 18th Fighter Wing, as well as U.S. underwater planners and divers. The search operation starts in the waters off Yangyang County, located approximately 215 kilometers east of Seoul, targeting the wreckage of a U.S. F4U Corsair fighter aircraft. This aircraft crashed in February 1952 during an escort mission of another damaged U.S. attack aircraft, resulting in the death of one pilot, as historical records indicate.

Subsequently, the research team will aim to retrieve wreckage from U.S. military transport aircraft, specifically the Curtiss C-46 Commando, which crashed in the Gangneung area, about 170 kilometers east of Seoul. These incidents occurred in October and November 1952 on separate occasions. The first incident left 17 people missing, while in the November crash, two individuals were confirmed dead and seven others were reported missing.

The joint survey team plans to utilize underwater detector equipment and maritime unmanned systems for the search, with divers or remote sensing devices being deployed to examine the site upon any discovery of remains. Since signing an agreement in 2011, Seoul and Washington have collaborated on efforts to locate the remains of U.S. soldiers who perished during the conflict.