The remains of a North Korean soldier found in August less than two miles south of the border are handed over to Pyongyang military authorities on Thursday.

Officials from the United States Forces Korea said the body of the 23-year-old was pulled from the Imjin River near the demilitarized zone that divides North and South Korea.

A UN spokesman said the remains of North Koreans are found south of the border once or twice a year.

North Korean guards stood facing South Korean soldiers in the truce village of Panmunjom in silence while military officials checked and moved the remains to the northern side of the border.

The two Koreas are technically still at war and station an estimated one million troops near their respective sides of the demilitarized zone.