North Korea has decided to expel US soldier Travis King, who was detained after crossing the country’s border from South Korea in July, the KCNA state news agency says.
Key points:
- KCNA state news did not say how, when or where Travis King would be expelled
- North Korea detained the US soldier after he crossed the border with South Korea in July
- US officials have said Private King was due to face military action when he fled to North Korea
KCNA said authorities had ruled, after completing an investigation, that Private King “illegally intruded into the territory of the DPRK, under the law of the republic”.
The news agency did not provide further details about how, when or where Private King would be expelled.
The soldier sprinted into North Korea on July 18 while on a tour of the Demilitarised Zone on the border with South Korea.
Private King, who joined the US Army in 2021, had served as a Cavalry Scout with the Korean Rotational Force, part of the decades-old US security commitment to South Korea.
But his posting was dogged by legal troubles.
He faced two allegations of assault in South Korea, and eventually pleaded guilty to one instance of assault and destroying public property for damaging a police car during a profanity-laced tirade against Koreans, according to court documents.
From May 24 to July 10, he served a sentence of hard labour at the Cheonan correctional facility in lieu of paying a fine, Yonhap news agency reported.
A Cheonan prison official confirmed King had served the hard labour sentence there, but declined to provide further information, citing privacy concerns.
US officials, who previously spoke on condition of anonymity, said Private King had been due to face military disciplinary action on his return home to Fort Bliss, Texas, when he crossed the border.
Last month, North Korean investigators concluded that Private King deliberately crossed with the intent to stay in the North or in a third country, KCNA said.
“During the investigation, Travis King confessed that he had decided to come over to the DPRK as he harboured ill feeling against inhuman maltreatment and racial discrimination within the US Army,” it reported.
“He also expressed his willingness to seek refuge in the DPRK or a third country, saying that he was disillusioned at the unequal American society.”
At the time, the Pentagon said it could not verify the alleged comments and remained focused on bringing Private King home safely.
ABC/wires