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North Korea said it would expel a U.S. soldier who darted across the border from South Korea in July, in a rare case of an American service member held in one of the world’s most isolated states.
It remained unclear when King would be deported. U.S. authorities have said that Army Private 2nd Class Travis T. King was punished for misconduct while serving in South Korea and was due to be sent back to the United States when he skipped his flight in July.
Who is Army Private 2nd Class Travis King?
A cavalry scout who has not served on combat deployments, King, 23, joined the military in January 2021.
A U.S. official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the matter’s sensitive nature, told The Washington Post in July that King had just completed a 50-day hard-labor sentence in South Korea for assault and other offenses. The South Korean Defense Ministry and the country’s Justice Ministry declined to comment on the matter at the time.
U.S. military personnel had escorted King to the airport to be flown to the United States, where he was supposed to return for administrative separation or discharge from the military, but he did not board the scheduled flight, the official said.
King’s mother, Claudine Gates, of Racine, Wis., told ABC News she was stunned by his actions. “I can’t see Travis doing anything like that,” she said.
North Korea to expel U.S. soldier Travis King, who ran across border
Why did he cross into North Korea?
While King’s motives were not immediately clear, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has said the service member “willfully and without authorization” crossed the military demarcation line.
King was visiting the Joint Security Area (JSA) separating North and South Korea on an “orientation tour” when he crossed, according to Army Col. Isaac Taylor, a spokesman for U.S. forces in South Korea.
Last month, North Korea claimed King told investigators he had decided to flee into North Korea because of his “ill feeling against inhuman maltreatment and racial discrimination within the U.S. Army.” The U.S. Defense Department said it could not verify North Korea’s comments on King.
The state-run Korean Central News Agency, which did not specify when King would be released, said Wednesday that North Korea’s decision to expel him came after determining he had entered the country illegally.
North Korea says U.S. soldier was sick of ‘unequal American society’
What is the Joint Security Area?
Overseen by the United Nations, the frontier area that straddles North and South Korea is one of the most fortified in the world. The JSA is a section of the demilitarized zone, which has separated the North and South since the 1950-1953 Korean War ended in an armistice.
The JSA, in the border village of Panmunjom, has been used for diplomatic discussions, and it is the only place where North Korean and South Korean guards stand face to face.
Tours take visitors to sites in the demilitarized zone to learn about the Korean War and armistice agreement, according to the United Nations Command, which reportedly suspended tours after King’s surprise crossing.
U.S. soldier detained after intentionally crossing into North Korea
What is the United States doing to secure King’s return?
The White House has said the United States, which has no formal diplomatic relations with North Korea, was working with Sweden to secure King’s release.
In the past, Sweden, which maintains diplomatic relations with North Korea, has facilitated such efforts. Sweden has an embassy in Pyongyang, although diplomats were ordered to leave during the coronavirus pandemic.
What happened to Americans held in North Korea before?
King is the first American known to be detained in North Korea in nearly five years.
Most releases of Americans detained after voluntarily entering the country have come after high-level talks between government officials.
What happened to Americans held previously in North Korea?
The State Department has imposed a ban on U.S. nationals traveling to North Korea since 2017, after the death of Otto Warmbier. The American student, who traveled to Pyongyang and was detained on charges of stealing a propaganda poster, died soon after being sent back to the United States in a coma.
Because there are no diplomatic or consular relations, the U.S. government cannot provide emergency services to its nationals in North Korea, the State Department notes in its travel advisory.
Alex Horton, Michelle Ye Hee Lee, Niha Masih, Kelly Kasulis Cho, Leo Sands, Missy Ryan and Matt Viser contributed to this report.