Lieutenant General Andrew Harrison, deputy commander of the United Nations Command, said on Monday (July 24) that the command had begun discussions with North Korea over imprisoned American soldier Private Travis King, who ran into the North last week across the Koreas’ heavily militarised border. According to Lt Ge Harrison, the procedure began with communications lines established at the Joint Security Area between the Koreas under the armistice agreement.
Harrison stated that the command’s major concern was King’s safety. The deputy commander stated that he remained optimistic, but that it was impossible to predict how the talks with North Korea would go.
North Korea may try to extort concessions from the US
Harrison’s comments come two days after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that Washington has communicated with Pyongyang on King’s detention.
On July 18, King, who was stationed in South Korea, dashed into North Korea while touring the Demilitarised Zone on the inter-Korean border.
Previously, American authorities claimed that North Korea was refusing to provide information about him. According to the Associated Press, North Korea may delay weeks or even months to give relevant information on King in order to maximize leverage and add urgency to Washington’s efforts to secure his release.
Some speculated that Pyongyang may try to extort concessions from Washington, such as attaching his release to the US and reducing its military presence in South Korea. There are also fears that King will be utilized as a tool for propaganda. The North Korean state media has been deafeningly silent on King. (newportworldresorts.com)