US, South Korea Join Forces to Find Aircraft Lost in Korean War

More than seven decades have passed since the end of the Korean War, but efforts to recover remains of lost soldiers continue. 

On Monday, a partnership between the U.S. and South Korea was announced to find wreckage of three lost American planes that plunged into the ocean off the northeastern coast of South Korea during the war, which lasted from 1950-1953.  

The process will begin with land surveyors scoping the Gangneung and Yangyang sections of northeastern Gangwon Province to find pieces of a downed fighter jet and two transport planes. In August, divers will embark on an underwater investigation to uncover possible materials from the aircrafts, according to the South Korea Ministry of Defense. 

Work for the joint operation will be led by the U.S. Defense Department’s POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) and South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense Agency for KIA Recovery and Identification. The team plans to gather research, talk to local residents, and plans to utilize medical decompression chamber centers to conduct underwater investigations. 

Jordyn King, a U.S. Marine Corps staff sergeant and deputy team leader of the DPAA investigation team, has been involved with the recovery project for the past couple of years and is excited to work with crews from South Korea. 

“Since 2024, I have been coming to Korea for three years to work with MAKRI to find traces of the heroes who fought in the war,” King said, according to UPI. “During the one month given to us, we will carefully gather materials so that we can achieve good results in the future underwater investigation.” 

Planes Lost to History 

The land survey will explore three aircraft crash sites, highlighted by a transport plane that met its fate on Nov. 15, 1952, following takeoff from the Gangneung Air Base bound for Pohang. The aircraft was transporting nine soldiers, including a South Korean military member. The plane crashed into the ocean after a mid-flight engine malfunction.  

Another site marked for investigation is in Yangyang County. On Feb. 21, 1952, a U.S. plane crashed off the county’s coast. Several months later, on Oct. 16, a transport aircraft dealing with mechanical issues, crashed in the water off the coast of Gangneung, killing all 17 people on board. 

“Just as we recover the remains of South Korean troops killed in action, we will spare no support in helping to find the war dead and missing of the U.S. military who helped us,” said Lt. Col. Kim Seong-hwan, director of MAKRI. 

Partnership to Find Remains 

In 2025, MAKRI and DPAA agreed to a memorandum of understanding in Arlington, Virginia, home of Arlington National Cemetery, to join forces in identifying and recovering remains of military personnel deemed missing in action (MIA) throughout the Korean War. 

The agreement improves teamwork between the two agencies, according to the DPAA, along with making it easier to pinpoint where remains are and find solutions to extract and identify fallen soldiers. 

In the U.S., more than 1.8 million servicemembers were deployed to the Korean War, with 37,000 killed in action and over 92,000 wounded. According to the Pentagon, about 8,000 soldiers were documented as MIA.