Who is Private Travis King? 'Laughing' US soldier detained in North Korea after he fled tour group
PAJU, SOUTH KOREA: A soldier from US Army, who voluntarily crossed into North Korea, has been detained. Travis King made the border entry "willfully and without authorization" after he fled his orientation tour group. According to eyewitnesses, he was laughing when he ran to cross the border.
North Korea, which is known to have the strictest laws in the world, doesn't share a good relationship with the US. "A US National on a JSA (Joint Security Area) orientation tour crossed, without authorization, the Military Demarcation Line into the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK)," read the statement issued by the American-led United Nations Command overseeing the area. "We believe he is currently in DPRK custody and is working with our KPA counterparts to resolve this incident," the statement added, reported New York Post.
Who is Private Travis King?
Though US officials have not officially confirmed the soldier's identity, multiple South Korean reports name the male US soldier who crossed the border without permission as Travis King. He reportedly holds the rank of second-class private.
King reportedly crossed the border at 3.27 pm local time. "We're still doing some research into this, and everything that happened," said Colonel Issac Taylor, a spokesman for the US military in South Korea.
'This man gives out a loud "ha ha ha" '
According to an eyewitness who spoke to CBS News, the detainee led others in the group to believe that his crossing of the border was a joke as he ran away from the group laughing. "This man gives out a loud 'ha ha ha,' and just runs in between some buildings," said the witness.
Despite speculations on possible defection, a defense official stated there was no indication the detainee had any plan to defect. According to an official, the soldier who is now detained managed to return through airport security before he joined the orientation tour at the border. Due to the "continuing serious risk of arrest and long-term detention of US nationals," a travel ban has been imposed by the US on its citizens to North Korea.
Civilian tours to JSA recently resumed
The Joint Security Area where the detained soldier took the tour is the only point of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) where North and South Korean soldiers stood face to face. According to South Korean Travel Planning, civilian tours to the Joint Security Area (JSA) where gunfire and bloodshed have happened recently resumed. However, the place is also one of the known tourist spots.