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On Tuesday, July 18, US Military confirmed that one of their soldiers, Travis King, illegally crossed the border from South Korea to North Korea and is currently being detained there. It first got the news from the United Nations Command, which oversees the Joint Security Area under the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea.
Since the USA and North Korea are not allies, there is no information about his condition or where he is being held. However, one thing is certain - he made a run from South Korea’s Incheon Airport while being escorted back to the USA as part of a Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) border group operated by the United Nations Command. They now believe that the US soldier is in the custody of North Korea for entering the isolated nation without authorization.
King’s mother, Claudine Gates, told ABC News she couldn’t imagine her son entering North Korean territory intentionally.
“I’m so proud of him. I just want him to come home, come back to America,” she added.
Travis King has been in the US Army since 2021
The US soldier Travis King, currently being held in North Korea for entering the country without permission, is a Private Second Class soldier who has been associated with the US Army since January 2021. He is a 23 years old Racine native, a cavalry scout, and a reconnaissance specialist.
He was originally assigned to the Army’s 1st Armoured Division on a rotational basis posted in South Korea. During his career, he earned honors, including National Defense Service Medal, Korean Defense Service Medal, and Overseas Service Ribbon.
However, recently, he was facing disciplinary action and was being held by the US Army in South Korea on assault charges, as reported by the BBC. The news outlet also reported that Travis King was released to Camp Garrison Humphreys (a US Army base in South Korea) last week for out-processing after serving a 47-day sentence for allegedly kicking a South Korean police squad car and damaging it.
He was supposed to travel to Fort Bliss in Texas, where he was supposed to be put on administrative leave by the Army, following which disciplinary actions would have been taken against him, including suspension and discharge from service.
How did Travis King cross the border to North Korea?
North Korea is one of the most isolated nations in the world and is not on friendly terms with the USA, which is why American citizens are told not to go there. However, Travis King crossed from South Korea to North Korea by crossing the Military Demarcation Line, separating the two nations, without authorization by joining a Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) border tour.
When the US Army was escorting him at the Incheon Airport in South Korea, he fled at customs instead of boarding his flight back home. As per BBC, surveillance footage from the airport saw him leaving the terminal and crossing the border almost 54 kilometers away. An eyewitness, who was part of the same DMZ border group, described Travis King laughing out loud before voluntarily running through a narrow lane between two buildings and disappearing near Panmunjom.
At first, DMZ tour group officials thought it was a joke, but they realized the man had escaped when he didn’t return within half an hour. Although they carried out the initial search, King could not be located. Later, when UN Commands got involved, they confirmed that King crossed the border.
Experts believe Travis King pre-planned his escape. For instance, Jacco Zwetsloot, a North Korean podcaster who worked for a similar tour company in 2012, said in his recent episode how there was no way for the US soldier to flee from the airport and book a seat in one of the border tours within a few hours.
He even explained how it takes at least three days to get authorization to join one of the groups. According to Zwetsloot, one must submit their passport number and military ID to the United Nations Command before getting approved and flawlessly plan such an escape move. He also believes that King had outside help and did extensive research and planning.
What can the USA do to bring back Travis King?
The short answer is nothing. As of Tuesday, July 18, there has been no contact with North Korea or Travis King with the US Army. However, the matter is being investigated on priority by US Forces Korea, the Pentagon, and the UN Commands.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told the BBC that the Pentagon’s primary concern was the soldier’s well-being. They believe King is in the DPRK’s (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) custody, the official name used for North Korea. But the situation is quite tricky for the USA. For instance, President Joe Biden has been largely focusing on improving foreign policy concerning the tensions in the Korean peninsula.
Not only that, the day when Travis King escaped coincided with the arrival of a US nuclear missile submarine in the South Korean port Busan, a move of military power that angered North Korea. It was a direct response to hundreds of North Korean missile tests over the years that directly violated the UN Security Councils' resolutions.
Under these circumstances, if the USA wants to bring back their detained soldier, North Korea may use him as a new bargaining chip for their own gains. Interestingly, this is not the first time North Korea has detained a US citizen. Earlier, tourists, scholars, and even journalists were held since 1996. In 2017, the US government prohibited its citizens from visiting North Korea.
BBC says that US prisoners have always been cruelly treated in North Korean prisons. For instance, in 2018, a US college student, Otto Warmbier, who was imprisoned for stealing a hotel sign, was later released, only to return to the USA to stay in a coma for weeks before succumbing to his neurological injuries. Three others were also freed during Donald Trump’s presidency.
