His sudden escape surprised everyone. The United States said Wednesday it still had no news of the American soldier being held in North Korea after crossing the border during a tourist trip to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).
“We continue to work with the United Nations to determine the well-being and whereabouts of Private Travis King,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters. “We continue to collect information,” he added, acknowledging that the United States is still in the dark about the fate of its soldier.
No contact made
Mentioning contacts with South Korea and Sweden, which acts as an intermediary between the United States and Pyongyang, he said the Pentagon had initially unsuccessfully tried to communicate with the North Korean army. The incident, which could further deteriorate relations between Washington and Pyongyang, remains a mystery and the circumstances are still unclear.
Travis King, a U.S. military-identified second-class soldier who has been on duty since 2021, “voluntarily and without permission” crossed the border between South Korea and North Korea, technically still in a state of war, during a visit to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ ) separating the two countries. According to information from CBS TV, citing US officials, he was due to be flown back to the US for disciplinary reasons but managed to exit the airport and join a group of visitors to the DMZ.