A peculiar development has unfolded concerning the United States and North Korea which doesn’t involve missile tests and surveillance crafts. A US Army soldier identified as Private Travis King darted into the North Korean border on 18th July creating fresh challenges for the United States in its already stressed dealings with Pyongyang. Notably, Private King was reportedly due to face disciplinary action.
In a briefing on Wednesday, Pentagon said 23-year-old King crossed into North Korea “wilfully and without authorisation” while on an orientation tour of the Joint Security Area (JSA) which is located on the border between Seoul and Pyongyang. King is a Cavalry Scout with the Korean Rotational Force, part of the US security commitment to South Korea.
The White House while responding to a media query on the issue said that the Department of Defense, the State Department, and the UN are all continuing to work together on this matter to ascertain the information about Private King’s well-being and his whereabouts. “We are still gathering all the facts. It is still very early on. I believe the Secretary himself of the Department of Defense said yesterday (18th July) it might take us a little bit of time to ascertain all of that information. But again, we’re gathering all the facts. But I want to be very clear that the administration has and will continue to actively work to ensure his safety and the return of Private King to us and to his family, obviously,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.
The United States has reached out to Sweden and to South Korea on the matter. With no diplomatic ties between the US and North Korea, Sweden is largely representative of US interests in Pyongyang. On the question of whether the Biden administration reached out to China in this regard, Jean Pierre said she has no such engagement with China to read out but the government has engaged with Seoul and Stockholm.
King is reportedly believed to be in North Korean custody even as there have been no reports on the matter from the country. Pyongyang has not responded to any communication on the matter. A spokesperson for the US State Department, Mathew Miller, said, “Yesterday the Pentagon reached out to counterparts in the [North] Korean People’s Army. My understanding is that those communications have not yet been answered”.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said, “There’s a lot that we’re still trying to learn. We believe that he is in (North Korean) custody and so we’re closely monitoring and investigating the situation and working to notify the soldier’s next of kin.”
Travis J King’s mother made appeals on camera saying that wants her son back. His family has reportedly said that King was grieving the loss of his cousin, dealing with the distance from his family, and acting unlike himself when he was arrested while being stationed in South Korea.
How Private Travis King crossed into North Korea
Private Travis T King had joined the US Army in January 2021 and was originally assigned to an element of the US 1st Armored Division. He was administratively attached to a unit in the 4th Infantry Division.
Reuters, quoting a South Korean court ruling, reported that Private King pleaded guilty to assault and destruction of public goods following an incident in October following which he was fined 5 million won ($4,000). King is said to have punched a man in the face at a club on 25th September but the case was settled. He was then allegedly involved in another brawl. When questioned, the report says, King continued his “aggressive behaviour” and gave no answers.
Private King also reportedly caused damage amounting to 584,000 won. He paid 1 million won for damaging a police vehicle.
US officials reportedly said that King’s military detention had concluded on 10th July and he was transported to the airport to return to his home unit in the United States to face additional disciplinary measures and a possible discharge from the military. King fled while after passing alone through the security gate at the airport. King had claimed to the airline crew that his passport was missing and was able to return to the main terminal from the gate.
King managed to join a pre-booked group tour of the demilitarized zone on the border on Tuesday. With the tour group, he went to a border truce village named Panmunjeom, in Paju, Gyeonggi Province. During the tour, he suddenly ran across the border crossing the demilitarized zone, catching everyone by surprise. US and South Korean soldiers tried to stop him, but he had already vanished behind buildings by then.
A witness on the tour group, named Sarah Leslie, recalled seeing King run “really fast” for about 10 meters down a narrow passageway between the blue buildings when he crossed over the North Korean border and disappeared from sight. “I assumed initially he had a mate filming him in some kind of really stupid prank or stunt, like a TikTok, the most stupid thing you could do. But then I heard one of the soldiers shout, ‘Get that guy’,” Leslie said.
A day before crossing over to North Korea, King had reportedly texted US military handlers that he had arrived at his gate. A Korean report says the US military police after escorting King had left without verifying whether he had boarded the scheduled flight.
Reports say King was laughing as he fled and gave out a “loud ha ha ha”.
Incidents of people entering North Korea illegally are very rare, as it is North Koreans who always try to escape into the south from the dictatorship of Kim Jong Un. North Korean defectors generally escape the country through China, as crossing the heavily guarded border into South Korea is very difficult, and the sea route is also not easy.
