An American soldier who was imprisoned for two months in South Korea is allegedly held this Wednesday in North Korea after having crossed the heavily guarded border between the two countries without authorization, authorities said.
The soldier, identified by the US military as low-ranking Travis King, and who has been in the military since 2021, crossed the border “voluntarily and without authorization,” said Col. Isaac Taylor, a spokesman for the US forces in Korea.
The United Nations Command said he had been on an orientation tour at the Joint Security Area (JSA), adding that he is believed to be in North Korean custody. The agency is working with the Pyongyang military to “resolve this incident.”
Meanwhile, an administrative official in Seoul said that “King was released on July 10 after about two months in a South Korean prison on assault charges.” According to South Korea’s Yonhap news agency, King, now 23, was fined for “kicking” a police vehicle near Seoul. King was uncooperative and uttered “obscene yelling” at the officers. It is not yet clear, however, if this was the cause of his imprisonment for a few months.
CBS News, citing US officials, said the low-ranking soldier was being escorted home for disciplinary reasons but managed to leave the airport and join a group of tourists.