South Korea urges North Korea to cooperate in uncovering truth of South Korean POWs

Seoul: South Korea urged North Korea on Wednesday to acknowledge the issue of prisoners of the 1950-53 Korean War detained in the country and cooperate in uncovering their fate.

Seoul made the call during an interagency meeting on the issue of prisoners of war (POW) -- the first session of its kind under the Yoon Suk Yeol administration, Yonhap news agency reported.

The participants, including Vice Defence Minister Kim Seon-ho and officials from the foreign and unification ministries, also decided to continue making requests to North Korea for "substantive" measures on the issue in the future, according to the Defence Ministry.

South Korea says 80 South Korean POWs in North Korea have fled to their home country since the war ended in a ceasefire, not a peace treaty.

South Korea estimates that more than 500 POWs had still been alive in North Korea as of late 2016. Still, North Korea denies holding any POWs.