Travis King, who was imprisoned by North Korea for ‘illegally’ crossing the border from the south in July, is now in American custody, according to a US official on Wednesday (Sept 27).
“I can immediately confirm that Private Travis King is in US custody,” a senior administration official said on condition of anonymity.
North Korea’s KCNA state news agency said King had been expelled after admitting to entering North Korea illegally as he was “disillusioned about unequal U.S. society.”
Pyongyang acknowledged last month that it was holding the US soldier, saying King defected to North Korea to escape “mistreatment and racial discrimination in the US Army.”
However, after completing its probe, North Korea decided “to expel Travis King, a soldier of the US Army who illegally intruded into the territory of the DPRK, under the law of the Republic”, said the Korean Central News Agency.
“King confessed that he illegally intruded into the territory of the DPRK as he harbored ill feelings against inhuman maltreatment and racial discrimination within the US army and was disillusioned about the unequal US society,” KCNA said.
It went on to say that King would be ejected under the country’s laws, but it didn’t say when, how, or where he would be released.
King, 23, had been detained by South Korean authorities after pleading guilty to an assault incident and the destruction of public property.
He was due to return to Fort Bliss, Texas, after serving his sentence there, to face military disciplinary procedures for his activities. He was able to avoid this return by joining a tourist excursion to the Demilitarised Zone, where he slipped through the border on July 18.
Who is Travis King?
The 23-year-old Travis King, who enlisted in the US Army in January 2021, was assigned to the Korean Rotational Force as a Cavalry Scout as part of the US’s long-standing security commitment to South Korea, according to Reuters.
However, his tenure in this position was reportedly marred by legal issues. While stationed in South Korea, King was accused of two different assaults and pleaded guilty to one assault and destruction of public property. According to the report, this occurred during a “profanity-laced tirade” against Koreans, during which he damaged a police vehicle.
This incident resulted in his arrest in South Korea. He was due to return to Fort Bliss, Texas, after serving his sentence there, to face military disciplinary procedures for his activities.