North Korea says Travis King confessed to crossing into North Korea because of “inhumane persecution and racial discrimination within the US Army,” according to a report by North Korea’s state news agency KCNA on Wednesday (16/8). This is Pyongyang’s first public acknowledgment of the incident.
The soldier, Private Travis T. King, ran into North Korea last July 18 while on a tour with civilians in the Joint Security Area (JSA), in the heavily fortified South and North Korean border region. US officials believe King crossed the border on purpose.
North Korean investigators have also concluded that King crossed over deliberately and illegally, with the intention to stay in North Korea or in a third country, KCNA said.
King joined the US Army in January 2021 and has served as a cavalry scout with the Korean Rotational Force, which is part of the US security commitment to South Korea.
He later faced two counts of assault in South Korea and eventually pleaded guilty to one incident of assault and destruction of public property, namely vandalizing a police car while shouting angrily and swearing at Korean citizens, according to court documents.
So far the US has refused to classify King as a prisoner of war, even though he is being held in North Korea, US officials have told Reuters. (rd/rs)
