NEWS
US Soldier Travis King Is Expelled by North Korea, And Back in American Custody
Courtesy of Family Photo
U.S. Army Pvt. Travis King, who intentionally entered North Korea in July, was released into American custody in China on Wednesday, per reports.
The state-run Korean Central News Agency earlier on Wednesday announced the country’s investigation had concluded and it would expel King.
The 23-year-old soldier joined a group of tourists visiting the Demilitarized Zone at the Joint Security Area in the village of Panmunjom on July 18, and as the tour came to an end, he sprinted toward North Korea. The country in August confirmed King was detained there.
KCNA on Wednesday reported that King “confessed that he illegally intruded” into North Korea due to “ill feeling against inhuman maltreatment and racial discrimination within the U.S. army and was disillusioned about the unequal U.S. society.”
None of the statements attributed to King by the North Korean outlet have been independently verified.
The state’s official propaganda outlet made similar claims when it confirmed King’s entry in August, and said he was seeking refuge in North Korea or a third country.
It was initially unclear why King apparently defected to North Korea, though he was facing a possible dismissal from the Army after legal troubles in South Korea, per reports. King was accused of multiple assaults in South Korea, and was held in a detention facility until July 10. He was set to return to Fort Bliss, Texas, but never boarded his flight.
The Department of Defense has said that Pvt. King was officially considered AWOL, or absent without leave, an offense that could potentially be punished by time in the brig or dishonorable discharge.
The United States and North Korea technically remain at war following the truce that ended the 1950–53 Korean War. Nearly 30,000 U.S. troops remain stationed in South Korea.
TMX contributed to this article.
