US soldier Travis King detained in DPRK now in American custody

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
27 Sep 2023 17:42
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A senior US administration official confirms the US soldier had left Chinese airspace and was on his way to a US military base.

In this photo taken in Seoul on August 16, 2023, a man walks past a television showing a news broadcast featuring a photo of US soldier Travis King (AFP)

A US official confirmed on Wednesday that American soldier Travis King, who was detained in the DPRK after crossing from the South in July, is in American custody.

"I can immediately confirm that Private Travis King is in US custody," a senior administration official said on condition of anonymity.

Earlier on Wednesday, Pyongyang's state news agency said the DPRK has decided to expel King.

Senior US administration officials said that China helped facilitate the transfer of the soldier into US custody.

China "played a role in facilitating that transfer, but did not play another mediating role in these events," an official said, adding that Sweden had helped transfer King to China, where he was released into US custody.

The official claimed that no concessions were given to the DPRK in exchange for King.

According to the officials, the United States stands ready to have possible further diplomatic engagements with the DPRK.

"The United States government remains very open to the possibility of diplomacy with the DPRK [North Korea]," the officials said.

They continued, "This incident to our minds demonstrate that keeping lines of communication open, even when ties are strained, is a really important thing to do and can deliver results. We, again, stand by ready for any further diplomacy that might be possible."

On its part, the White House thanked Beijing for helping King to leave the DPRK through Chinese territory.

"We thank... the government of the People's Republic of China for its assistance in facilitating the transit of Private King," National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said in a statement.

The US soldier had left Chinese airspace and was on his way to a US military base, a senior administration official confirmed.

King ran across the border on July 18 after joining a sightseeing tour of the Demilitarised Zone between the DPRK and South Korea.

Last month, Pyongyang confirmed it was holding the US soldier, saying King had defected to the DPRK to escape "mistreatment and racial discrimination in the U.S. Army."

The #US Army has identified the soldier who crossed the demarcation line into #NorthKorea as Private (#Pvt) #TravisKing on Tuesday.

Here's what you need to know about the issue so far. pic.twitter.com/NxIQ2aJjnu
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) July 20, 2023

Myron Gates, King's uncle, told ABC News in August that his nephew was subjected to racism during his military assignment and that he did not sound like himself after spending time in a South Korean jail.

But after completing its investigation, Pyongyang has "decided to expel Travis King, a soldier of the U.S. Army who illegally intruded into the territory of the DPRK, under the law of the Republic," the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Wednesday.

After a drunken pub fight, an incident with police, and a stay in a South Korean jail, Private Second Class King was being taken to the airport in July to fly back to Texas. But instead of traveling to Fort Bliss for disciplinary hearings, King snuck away, joined a Demilitarised Zone sightseeing trip, and slipped over the border.

It is noteworthy that the last American to have crossed over to the DPRK was Bruce Byron Lowrance, who crossed over from China in October 2018. Lowrance was accused of working for the CIA but was released a month after being taken into custody, with the mediation of the Swedish Embassy in the DPRK.