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The American detained in North Korea after crossing the border was a US soldier, officials tell AP

cigaretteman

HR King
May 29, 2001
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U.S. officials say an American detained after crossing the border from South Korea into North Korea was a U.S. soldier.

There were no immediate details about how or why the soldier crossed the heavily fortified border or whether the soldier was on duty. The officials spoke Tuesday on the condition of anonymity to discuss the matter ahead of a public announcement.





Cases of Americans or South Koreans defecting to North Korea are rare, though more than 30,000 North Koreans have fled to South Korea to avoid political oppression and economic difficulties since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War.

 
An American soldier facing military disciplinary actions fled across the heavily armed border from South Korea into North Korea, U.S. officials said Tuesday, becoming the first American detained in the North in nearly five years.

Two U.S. officials said 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.

At a Pentagon press conference Tuesday, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin did not name King, but confirmed that a U.S. service member was likely now in North Korean custody.
 
His First Sergeant when they got the name

Key And Peele Reaction GIF
 
I heard a journalist who has been to NK say that whenever NK holds someone they present a bill to the person's country when they are returned. Basically they bill for food, lodging, health care, keeping them secure...
That's nuts.
 
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I heard a journalist who has been to NK say that whenever NK holds someone they present a bill to the person's country when they are returned. Basically they bill for food, lodging, health care, keeping them secure...
That's nuts.
We should do something similar every time we deport someone who's in the country illegally: Invoice their home country for the expense of processing, lodging, and returning them.
 
Odds that he will be Warmbeered?
No. He’ll be used as a propaganda piece. It’ll start with a televised confession that the United States was about to attack.

Later on in life he will be the evil white American in the few movies NK makes every so often.

 
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Who is Army Private 2nd Class Travis King?​

A cavalry scout, King joined the military in January 2021. U.S. officials have not publicly detailed the misconduct for which he was punished while serving in South Korea.


U.S. military personnel escorted him to the airport to be flown to the United States, but he did not board the scheduled flight, a U.S. official told The Washington Post, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the matter’s sensitivity. King, who has not served on combat deployments, has medals listed in his provided service record that were perfunctory awards given to soldiers in South Korea, The Post reported.
According to the Associated Press, the 23-year-old was recently released from a South Korean prison, where he had been held on assault charges. The AP reported that he was due to be sent this week to Fort Bliss, in Texas, where he could have faced further disciplinary actions and discharge from the service.


 
I’m not sure what he was thinking. It isn’t like N. Korea welcomes people who break rules with open arms.
I’m also wondering about the logic of not sticking him on a plane back to the states right away. It seems like the Army was pretty trusting.
They were probably thinking "just got out of South Korean prison, not going to be able to blend in there. What's he going to do, defect to North Korea? Don't bother the MPs with this."
 
I heard a journalist who has been to NK say that whenever NK holds someone they present a bill to the person's country when they are returned. Basically they bill for food, lodging, health care, keeping them secure...
That's nuts.

Honestly, that's one of the least offensive things they do.
 
I’m not sure what he was thinking. It isn’t like N. Korea welcomes people who break rules with open arms.
I’m also wondering about the logic of not sticking him on a plane back to the states right away. It seems like the Army was pretty trusting.
This guy certainly doesn't seem like our finest example of intelligence in US soldiers.
 
You know, this all just reminded me, a dude in a different squadron (IIRC, he was in 3/11 in Bad Hersfeld, I was 2/11 in Bad Kissingen) crossed the E German border and was caught when I was in W Germany in around 1988. He wasn't charged with anything publicly. He was given NJP (non-judicial punishment) and turned over to his Troop with the orders to make sure he never did anything like that again.


Edit: Granted, he hadn't just gotten out of a W German jail on assault charges, so there's an extra bit of spice with the NK thing
 
No. He’ll be used as a propaganda piece. It’ll start with a televised confession that the United States was about to attack.

Later on in life he will be the evil white American in the few movies NK makes every so often.


Looks like your post is in need of an edit.
 
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Sweden has strong diplomatic ties with North Korea and sometimes acts as an intermediary in these situations. Sounds like a job for the bikini team.

EYVW7AEX0AM96Rz.jpg
 
We should do something similar every time we deport someone who's in the country illegally: Invoice their home country for the expense of processing, lodging, and returning them.
Trump will get right on that the day after the 2025 inauguration.

Just kidding.
 
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