Travis King, an American soldier, crossed into North Korea after participating in a civilian trip to the Joint Security Zone. Photo: REUTERS unexpectedly broke into North Korea last week.
There are still few details about the whereabouts or status of 23-year-old Private King, who joined a civilian tour of the Joint Security Area (JSA) between South and North, before “arbitrarily” crossing the latter on July 18.
However, a “conversation” has begun between the DPRK People's Army of Korea and the UN Multinational Command (UNC), which oversees the JSA, Lieutenant General Deputy Force Commander Andrew Harrison said at a briefing on Monday.
“The main concern for us is the well-being of Private King,” he said.
Lieutenant General Andrew Harrison, UN Deputy Commander, said that Pvt. King's position was “very difficult and difficult”. Photo: JUNG YEON-JE/AFP
Negotiations about the fate of Private King began in accordance with the rules of the armistice agreement that led to the truce in the Korean War of 1950-1953, he confirmed, adding that he did not want to reveal any details that could damage the process.
“Obviously, someone's well-being is at stake, and it is obvious that we are in a very difficult and complex situation, which I do not want to risk by speculating or going into details about the messages,” said Lieutenant General Harrison.
>“None of us knows how this will end. I am an optimist in life. I remain optimistic.”
When asked if Private King was classified as a defector by either side, Harrison said the UNC did not classify him as “anyone other than an American soldier” and added that he would never speak for North Korea.
Private King served with the US military in South Korea but was scheduled to return to his base in Texas last week, where he faced “pending administrative action for dismissal due to a foreign conviction”.
While in South Korea, he faced assault charges and a £3,097 fine. fine for damaging a police car.
A “Proud Parent of a U.S. Army Soldier” sticker adorns a car outside the home of Private Travis King's mother in Racine, Wisconsin. Credit: ERIC COX/REUTERS
The soldier had just completed his term in detention for an unspecified offense and was accompanied to the airport by a military escort who could not join him outside of Customs and Immigration. Private King seems to have slipped out of the airport to join the tour.
His disappearance in the reclusive North is a diplomatic headache for Washington, which is facing a crisis in relations with Pyongyang over Kim Jong-un's push for a nuclear missile program.
On Sunday, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCall expressed concern about the “price” North Korea might charge for releasing Private Travis.
“Running from his problems”
“Is he deserting? I think he was running from his problems,” McCall told ABC News.
“It was the wrong place. But we see it in Russia, China, Iran – when they take an American prisoner, especially a soldier, they demand a price for it,” McCall said. “And that's what I'm worried about.”
Pyongyang has a long history of detaining Americans and using them as a bargaining chip in bilateral negotiations.
The United States has no official diplomatic relations with the North, and since North Korea closed its borders at the start of the pandemic, most of the embassies present in Pyongyang have withdrawn their foreign diplomats.
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