Travis King, a US Army private, has crossed the border from South Korea into North Korea, according to a statement from the North Korean government. The statement, which was released on Wednesday by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), claimed that King had expressed “his willingness to seek refugee” in North Korea or a third country. It also claimed that King confessed that he had decided to enter North Korea as “he harbored ill feeling against inhuman maltreatment and racial discrimination within the US Army.”
King had been on a tour of the Joint Security Area (JSA), a border area where soldiers from both Koreas face each other, as a civilian when he crossed the military demarcation line on Tuesday. His motive for doing so is still unclear. The US Army has identified King as a cavalry scout who joined the military in January 2021.
King’s history of assault and detention
Court documents showed that King had a history of assault, was facing disciplinary action over his conduct and was meant to go back to the US the day before the incident. An army official told CNN that King was set to be administratively separated from the US Army.
King had spent about 50 days in a detention facility under the Status of Forces Agreement with South Korea, which is an agreement that defines how US service members, their family members, and other Defense Department personnel are treated and processed in a foreign country, including its justice system. He was released from detention on July 10 and was set to fly back to the US on Monday.
King’s mother, Claudine Gates, told ABC she was “shocked” after being told by the US Army that her son had crossed into North Korea. “I can’t see Travis doing anything like that,” Gates said, adding that she heard from her son several days ago and he told her that he’d be returning to his base in Fort Bliss.
US reaches out to North Korea
The US has been actively reaching out to North Korea to resolve the situation, but it has not yet heard back, a defense official said Wednesday. It is typical of North Korea not to respond to US outreach, the defense official added.
Adm. John Aquilino, who is in charge of US Indo-Pacific Command, said Tuesday that the US has had “no contact at this point” with North Korea in regards to King. Speaking at the Aspen Security Forum on Tuesday, Aquilino said King “made a run across the demilitarized zone in the JSA, was picked up by the North Koreans, and we’ve had no contact at this point.” Aquilino added that he has “gotten no reports” that King was a North Korea sympathizer.
King is believed to be the first US soldier to cross into North Korea since 1982, when Pvt. Joseph T. White defected after shooting and killing a fellow soldier. White later returned to the US in 1986 and was sentenced to life imprisonment.