There is nothing more to say about this story: what was this US soldier thinking? Today, the Pentagon informed us that a US soldier stationed in South Korea who was facing disciplinary action decided to skip his flight stateside and flee across the demilitarized zone into North Korea.
The Defense Department is describing the incident as willing and unauthorized. One could be facing murder charges, but word of advice: zipping to North Korea is never a wise decision (via Politico):
A US soldier crossed the inter-Korean border into North Korea and was believed to be in North Korean custody, a US official told @Reuters, creating a fresh crisis for Washington in its dealings with the nuclear-armed state https://t.co/GY4Frwgd7T 1/5 pic.twitter.com/GVjWegsgHK
— Reuters (@Reuters) July 18, 2023
LATEST: The soldier who crossed into North Korea "without authorization" and is in custody in the country was identified as 23-year-old Pvt. Travis King, a U.S. official confirms. https://t.co/FDiFW8yG3T
— ABC News (@ABC) July 18, 2023
A U.S. soldier fled from South Korea into North Korea, U.S. officials say, becoming the first American detained in the North in nearly five years.
— The Associated Press (@AP) July 18, 2023
Here's a look at Panmunjom, the famous border town where the soldier crossed into North Korea. https://t.co/fHgI8WypVh
A U.S. service member crossed the border from South Korea to North Korea “willfully and without authorization” Tuesday and is believed to be in North Korean custody, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin confirmed during a press conference Tuesday.
The soldier was on a civilian tour of the Demilitarized Zone, according to Col. Isaac Taylor of United States Forces Korea Public Affairs, and not on duty at the time. The soldier “willfully and without authorization” separated from the group and crossed the demarcation line, he said.
“We believe he is currently in DPRK custody and are working with our KPA counterparts to resolve this incident,” Taylor said.
Two U.S. officials told the Associated Press the soldier detained was Private 2nd Class Travis King, who had just been released from a South Korean prison where he’d been held on assault charges and was facing additional military disciplinary actions in the United States.
King, who’s in his early 20s, was escorted to the airport to be returned to Fort Bliss, Texas, but instead of getting on the plane he left and joined a tour of the Korean border village of Panmunjom, where he ran across the border.
The soldier was observed running toward North Korea and being taken in to custody, said a person familiar with the incident who was granted anonymity to speak openly.
Again, fleeing to a communist hell hole that is also virulently anti-American isn’t the right place to abscond when facing charges.
What in the world did this mf do that he decided he'd rather face the gulags in North Korea than be sent back to the U.S. for a court martial lmfao https://t.co/pDPNatphbI
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) July 18, 2023
UPDATE: The soldier had been punished for misconduct while serving in South Korea, and was being sent home to the United States. But he did not get on his scheduled flight after U.S. military personnel took him to the airport, the official said. https://t.co/CPAub4oMqZ
— Michelle Ye Hee Lee (@myhlee) July 18, 2023