moment as U.S. soldier Travis King returns to America after landing in Texas, a day after North Korea was expelled from the rogue state for “trespassing.”
- North Korea suddenly announced on Wednesday that it would deport 23-year-old US soldier Travis King
The moment Private Travis King landed back on American soil after two months of captivity in North Korea has been made public.
King, 23, made a brazen attempt to set foot on North Korean soil in July when he broke away from a tour group touring the demilitarized area between the rogue state and the South. The Wisconsin native had not been heard from since then.
In the clip, King appeared to calmly step off a plane in San Antonio, Texas. It landed around 1:30 a.m. local time.
He appeared to be wearing civilian clothes and spoke briefly to people waiting on the tarmac, one in military uniform and one in street clothes. A photographer nearby took photos of the conversation.
King shook one’s hand before being led into a building without the apparent presence of an armed guard.
His release was secured with the help of ally Sweden and rival China, the White House said on Wednesday. North Korea suddenly announced that it would deport King.
He was declared AWOL from the Army. In many cases, someone who is an absconder for more than a month can automatically be considered a deserter.
The punishment for absence or desertion can vary and depends in part on whether the soldier returned voluntarily or was arrested. The North Koreans’ surrender of King complicates matters even further.
It was not clear why the North – which has strained relations with Washington over Pyongyang’s nuclear program, support for Russia’s war in Ukraine and other issues – agreed to extradite him, or why the soldier fled in the first place.
King, who had served in South Korea, encountered North Korea on July 18 during a civilian tour of a border village, becoming the first American in nearly five years confirmed to have been detained in the North.
At the time, King was scheduled to travel to Fort Bliss, Texas, after being released from prison in South Korea on an assault conviction.
His release almost certainly doesn’t end his problems. He was declared AWOL from the Army, a status punishable by incarceration in military prison, loss of pay or a dishonorable discharge.
On Wednesday, Swedish officials took King to the Chinese border, where he was met by U.S. Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns, the Swedish ambassador to China and at least one U.S. Defense Department official.
Biden administration officials insisted they made no concessions to North Korea to secure the soldier’s release.
King was flown to a US military base in South Korea before being returned to the US
King was flown to a US military base in South Korea before being returned to the US