Details emerged about the soldier who crossed the North Korean border
White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre answered questions from reporters at the daily news briefing. Jean-Pierre noted that the White House, the Defense and Foreign Affairs ministries and the United Nations (UN) are working together on the situation of US soldier Travis King, who crossed the North Korean border.
Jean-Pierre stated that they continue to gather information about King’s condition and where exactly he is, adding that it is still too early to say anything about it and it may take time to determine this information.
Emphasizing that the US administration is actively working for the King’s safety and his return to the country, Jean-Pierre said that they are in contact with the authorities regarding the King’s situation through Sweden and South Korea (due to the lack of official US diplomatic relations with North Korea).
Jean-Pierre responded to the question about whether or not Sweden had access to information in this context, that he did not have any information to share at this time.
CROSSING THE BORDER LAUGHTER
Details have emerged about 23-year-old US soldier King crossing the border into North Korea. An eyewitness from the tour group told CBS that King, in civilian clothes, was running across the border into North Korea while laughing out loud.
A New Zealand tourist in the same group told the Associated Press that as the tourists roamed freely, he saw a person running toward the North Korean side.
Pentagon officials also reported that another US soldier ran after King to catch up with him, but was unable to reach him.
“OUR PRIORITY SHOULD BE GETTING THEM BACK”
King’s unauthorized crossing of the North Korean border of his own free will raised issues in the already tense relations between the two countries.
Adam Smith, a Democratic member of the US House Armed Services Committee, told CNN that North Korea’s detention of a US soldier poses a serious problem as the two countries do not maintain diplomatic relations.
“If an American soldier is being held in North Korea, our priority should be to secure their return,” Smith said. he shared his statement.
Sean Timmons, an attorney with a law firm specializing in military litigation, told the Associated Press that North Korea will decide whether to stay if King tries to present himself as a legitimate asylum seeker fleeing political pressure or persecution.
“What they want to do will depend on the whims of their leaders,” Timmons said of King, who is believed to be in North Korean detention. he said.
WHAT HAPPENED?
The United Nations Command (UNC) in South Korea also announced yesterday on its Twitter account that an American civilian crossed the North Korean border “without permission and voluntarily” during a sightseeing tour to Panmunjom, the de facto border town between South and North Korea.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin confirmed that the person in question was a US soldier and crossed the border “voluntarily and without permission”. “I am absolutely very concerned that our military is doing well.” he had used the phrase.
In details that later emerged, it was claimed that the 23-year-old soldier named Travis King was sentenced to about 2 months in prison for beating up a civilian at a nightclub in South Korea and kicking a police car.
King, accompanied by soldiers, reportedly returned to the airport claiming he lost his passport through the plane door, then left the airport and joined the organized tour to the de facto border village of Panmunjom, which is the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) between North and South Korea, where tourists are located.
It is unknown how King joined the DMZ tour group, why he crossed the border, and what his fate is now. US officials note that while they requested information from North Korea, nothing has been returned to them so far.
It is not known how the United States and North Korea, which do not have diplomatic relations, will hold talks on the issue. (AA)