FILE PHOTO: U.S. Secretary of Defence James Mattis addresses a press conference at the Ministry of Defence in Olso, Norway, July 14, 2018. Jim Watson/Pool via REUTERS

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. military is “absolutely” considering the possibility of sending personnel to North Korea for the first time in more than a decade to search for additional remains of U.S. troops from the Korean war, U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said on Friday.

“That is certainly under consideration. Absolutely,” Mattis told Pentagon reporters, adding the North’s delivery of the remains of U.S. soldiers on Friday set a positive tone for broader diplomatic negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang.

A Pentagon official said the last time U.S. personnel were in North Korea to search for remains was in 2005.