By Agencies
A U.S. soldier has been detained by North Korea after dashing across the demilitarized zone that separates the communist country from South Korea, officials familiar with the situation told NBC News on Tuesday.
Travis King has been identified as the US soldier detained in North Korea and had joined a tour of the Joint Security Area run by a private excursion company when he suddenly bolted across the border, one of the three officials who have confirmed the account said.
The United Nations Command security forces that had been escorting the tour gave chase but could not catch him in time, the official said.
The White House is aware of the incident, which came amid heightened tensions over North Korea’s nuclear program but has not yet commented.
Earlier, the American-led U.N. Command said a U.S. national on an orientation tour had “crossed, without authorization, the Military Demarcation Line into the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.”
“We believe he is currently in DPRK custody and is working with our KPA counterparts to resolve this incident,” it said in a tweet, referring to North Korea by its full name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, and its military force, the Korean People’s Army.
Tours of the area have been ongoing since the 1960s and are organized by private companies, while the U.N. has held its own tour for its staff.
The area is just 30 miles north of Seoul, the South Korean capital, and has huge historic importance as the place where the armistice to end the Korean War was signed in 1953.
The news comes as the USS Kentucky, a nuclear-powered submarine, arrived at the Busan naval base in South Korea on Tuesday.
“This port visit to Busan reflects the United States’ ironclad commitment to the Republic of Korea for our extended deterrence guarantee,” U.S. Forces Korea said in a statement.
But beyond his name and the fact he is a member of the US military, there are a lot of questions that have yet to be answered.
* What were his motivations? So far, we have an official who says King “wilfully” crossed the border, while a witness claims he saw the soldier running across the North Korean border laughing.
However, we don’t know any more than that.
* Why was he there? Private 2nd Class Travis King crossed during an orientation tour of the Joint Security Area (JSA) between North Korea and South Korea, according to several news agencies.
King was reportedly being escorted out of the country for disciplinary reasons when he turned around at airport security and booked a tour.
* When will be released? All we know is that King crossed the border and is now being held by North Korea, according to a statement released a few hours ago by the UN Command.
US prisoners have typically been treated brutally in North Korean prisons.
In 2018, North Korea released an American college student who was imprisoned for stealing a hotel sign.
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