A US soldier entered the country in July to “seek refuge” there, Pyongyang claims.

A US soldier entered North Korea in July “Admitted to trespassing”On Wednesday, August 16, North Korean state agency KCNA reported, citing an investigation report. “According to the investigation conducted by the competent body of the DPRK [République populaire démocratique de Corée], Travis King admits to illegally entering DPRK territory »KCNA reported using North Korea’s official name.

It was Pyongyang’s first public statement since the “King Affair” began. The US soldier was due to return to the US after a run-in with the South Korean justice system, but on July 18 he joined a group of tourists who crossed the border into North Korea and crossed the demilitarized zone that separates the two Koreas.

“During the hearing, Travis King said he decided to come to the DPRK because he hated the inhumane treatment and racial discrimination in the US military”KCNA said.

Travis King He was detained by Korean People’s Army soldiers as he deliberately entered The agency added that it was the first time the soldier had been detained at a North Korean site.

“Disenchantment with an Unequal American Society”

Travis King A “She expressed her desire to seek asylum in the DPRK or a third country, saying she was disillusioned with the unequal American society”KCNA assured that the regime’s investigation is still ongoing.

Private Second Class Travis King was released from prison in South Korea after a bar fight and altercation with police. He had to return to America to face disciplinary sanctions.

On August 3, the US command indicated that Pyongyang “Answer” For military related requests. Embassy chief Anthony Blinken, who confirmed contact with Pyongyang, said he had no information on the whereabouts or condition of Travis King.

The two Koreas are technically still at war since 1953, as it was an armistice and not a peace treaty that ended the armed conflict. The forts follow the route of the border, but only a concrete wall separates them at the level of the Common Security Area (JSA), which is difficult to cross despite soldiers.

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Rather than a defection for ideological reasons, Travis King may have acted to escape his country’s justice. Assigned to the First US Armored Division stationed in the South, he was convicted in February of damaging a police car. He served two months in prison for assaulting a South Korean at a club near Seoul’s bustling Hongdae district.

He was released on July 17 and was to be sent to Fort Bliss, Texas for further disciplinary action. He escaped after being taken to customs at Incheon Airport (west of Seoul). The next day, he joined a group visiting the JSA. Its presence among tourists may be surprising, as access to JSA is subject to strict restrictions and requests to participate require several days of processing.

However, he took the opportunity to cross the border line. It was here that in 2019, Donald Trump became the first US president to enter North Korea during his meeting with leader Kim Jong-un.

Military guides tried to arrest Travis King, but to no avail. A 2018 inter-Korean agreement establishes that soldiers assigned to the JSA are disarmed. Mr. who was sent to the north. King was immediately arrested. He “Voluntarily crossed the border line without permission to enter the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.”He later recognized Colonel Isaac Taylor of the US forces in South Korea.

Travis King is the seventh American veteran to go North since the Korean War, more to escape his daily life or moral dilemmas than for ideological reasons. Larry Allen Abshear became the first in May 1962. Charles Jenkins is the most famous: a Southerner, he defected to the North in 1965 to avoid participation in the Vietnam War.