According to ABC News, a US Army private seized in North Korea after crossing the border on purpose done so “without authorization,” according to UN and US sources.
The soldier, identified as Pvt. Travis King, 23, was scheduled to return to the United States after being held at a South Korean detention center for 47 days. According to a US official, King was taken by South Korean authorities after an encounter with locals. At the time, he was apparently stationed in South Korea.
Following his release, a military escort drove King to Incheon International Airport, where he boarded a flight to the United States and reported to his base at Fort Bliss, Texas, according to an official. According to reports, the soldier is facing “pending administrative separation actions for foreign conviction.”
However, King could only be carried to the customs checkpoint because the military escort lacked the necessary ticket to allow passage beyond that point. As a result, King arrived at the terminal without the bodyguard before departing for a tour of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). Authorities did not anticipate King purposefully missing his flight.
During the tour, a tourist claimed King crossed into the secretive nation after laughing out loud, New York Post reported. In the wake of the incident, King’s mother said learning about her son entering North Korea had left her in shock. “I can’t see Travis doing anything like that,” Claudine Gates told ABC News. Gates, who said she wants King to just “come home”, told the news outlet that she had spoken to her son “a few days ago” and he informed her that he’ll soon be going back to Fort Bliss.
“We’re very early in this event and so there’s a lot that we’re still trying to learn,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said during a news conference on Tuesday. “What we do know is that one of our service members who was on a tour willfully and without authorization crossed the military demarcation line. We believe that he is in DPRK custody. We’re closely monitoring and investigating the situation, and working to notify the soldier’s next of kin and engaging to address this incident.”
“I’m absolutely foremost concerned about the welfare of our troop. We will remain focused on this, and this will develop in the next several days,” added Austin. The White House also said President Joe Biden has been notified about the incident.
“The White House, the Department of Defense, the State Department, and also the U.N. are all working together to ascertain more information and resolve this situation,” press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre informed reporters. “I don’t have more to share beyond that. We are looking into this.”