A U.S. soldier on the southern side of the Panmunjom in the Demilitarized Zone, South Korea.Photo:AP Photo/Lee Jin-man
AP Photo/Lee Jin-man
An American soldier has been detained in North Korea after crossing into the country from South Korea “without authorization,” the United Nations Commandannounced Tuesday.
“A U.S. National on a JSA orientation tour crossed, without authorization, the Military Demarcation Line into the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). We believe he is currently in DPRK custody and are working with our KPA counterparts to resolve this incident,” the organization said in a tweet.
Outlets includingAssociated PressandCBS Newshave identified the soldier as Private 2nd Class Travis King, who had reportedly just been released from a South Korean prison where he’d been held on assault charges.
King was being escorted to the U.S. to face additional disciplinary actions when he’s alleged to have purposefully separated himself at the airport, AP reports, citing an anonymous U.S. official.
At that point, it appears King then joined the group touring the Joint Security Area before running over the border, according to AP.
The U.S. military in South Korea confirmed the news, saying in a statement to outlets includingReutersthat the soldier “willfully and without authorization” crossed the Military Demarcation Line into North Korea.
Speaking to CBS News, a person who was in the same tour group as King said the incident happened quickly and claimed, “this man gives out a loud ‘ha ha ha,’ and just runs in between some buildings.”
“I thought it was a bad joke at first, but when he didn’t come back, I realized it wasn’t a joke, and then everybody reacted and things got crazy,” the witness added, per CBS.
AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon
The soldier’s detainment marks the first American detainment in North Korea in nearly five years, AP reports.
The detainment also comes at a time of heightened tension between the U.S. and North Korea, which has been testing ballistic missiles in a move that’salarmed Western officials.
The U.S. State Department warns U.S. nationals not to enter the country “due to the continuing serious risk of arrest and long term detention of U.S. nationals.”
In January 2016, 22-year-old University of Virginia studentOtto Warmbierwassentenced to 15 years of prison and hard laborfor allegedly stealing a political propaganda poster from his Pyongyang hotel while on a tour of the country.
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Last year, the White House negotiated for the release of WNBA starBrittney Grinerfrom Russian custody. Meanwhile, PresidentJoe Bidenhas said his administration is continuing to fight for the release of another American imprisoned in Russia: former U.S. MarinePaul Whelan, who has been held since 2018 for alleged espionage.
source: people.com
