27-9-2023 (PYONGYANG) North Korean state media announced on Wednesday that U.S. soldier Travis King will be ‘expelled’ from the country after spending two months in custody. King’s expulsion is the result of his ‘illegal entry’ into North Korea in July when he broke free from a tour group visiting the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) and made a dash for the communist country.
North Korean officials stated that they have completed their ‘questioning’ of King, who claimed he sought refuge in North Korea due to ‘ill feelings against inhuman maltreatment and racial discrimination’ in the U.S. military. There have been no statements from the U.S. regarding King’s impending release. The location to which Private King, 23, will be sent and the exact date of his release remain unclear. North Korea has limited diplomatic relations with its neighbors, with the notable exceptions of Russia and China. There is no information available regarding King’s health, and he has not been seen since July.
King had been scheduled to return to Texas to face assault charges stemming from an incident during his time stationed in South Korea. His family described King as a quiet loner who did not drink or smoke and enjoyed reading the Bible. He grew up in southeast Wisconsin and was enthusiastic about serving his country in South Korea.
King’s family remains uncertain about what prompted him to run into a country with a long history of holding Americans as bargaining chips.
King was supposed to be returned to the U.S. the same week he crossed the DMZ to face military discipline after spending nearly two months in a South Korean prison on assault charges.
A photo of King wearing a black t-shirt and hat from a DMZ gift shop was released shortly after his bizarre act. Witnesses claimed he laughed hysterically as he made the mad dash in July after fleeing his military superiors and joining the tour.
Fears for King’s well-being have grown as North Korea provided no updates on his condition. It remains unclear if the statements attributed to King by the North Koreans are legitimate.
In August, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told CNN that holding a U.S. soldier for propaganda purposes would align with North Korea’s tactics. Kirby stated that U.S. officials had no information about King’s condition or whereabouts within North Korea.
Court documents reveal that months earlier, King had faced two assault allegations and was fined by a South Korean court for damaging a police car. He had served two months in prison for assault before his release in July, and U.S. Army officials had escorted him to an airport to return home for military disciplinary proceedings. However, King left the terminal after they left him at airport security and went on to the tour.
King’s actions have created a new crisis in U.S.-North Korea relations, with U.S. officials stating that King crossed ‘willfully and without authorization.’ In an interview last month, King’s mother, Claudine Gates, expressed her disbelief at her son’s actions and said that he had ‘so many reasons’ to want to come home.
