The United States soldier, Travis King, has been released to U.S. custody after a diplomatic effort to secure his return from North Korea, senior officials announced. King, who crossed into North Korea on July 18, was received by U.S. officials after being transferred to China. King’s return was facilitated with the help of the Swedish government. Sweden served as the primary interlocutor between the U.S. and North Korea in securing King’s release. While the full details of the diplomacy are scarce, this is a rare example of the cooperation between the US, China and North Korea. King had bolted to North Korea while on a civilian tour of the border.
The US refused to declare him a prisoner of war and called his case as one of illegal immigration.
“During the investigation, Travis King confessed that he had decided to come over to the DPRK as he harboured ill feelings against inhuman maltreatment and racial discrimination within the US Army,” KCNA reported, as per Reuters.
It further said, “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.”
King’s uncle Myron Gates said his nephew was experiencing racism during his military deployment, Gates added that after King spent time in a South Korean jail, he did not sound like himself, as per Reuters.
Since Washington does not have a diplomatic presence in the country, the Swedish government which represented the US retrieved King in North Korea and brought him to China.
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said that King met the US ambassador to Beijing, Nicholas Burns in Dandong, China. Miller said King flew from there to Shenyang, China, then to Osan Air Force Base in South Korea, as per Reuters.
Miller said he did not view King’s return as a sign of a wider breakthrough with North Korea and that China had not served as a mediator in the matter, but rather as a transit point for the soldier.
Jonathan Franks, spokesperson for King’s mother, Claudine Gates, was quoted as saying: “Ms. Gates will be forever grateful to the United States Army and all its interagency partners for a job well done.”
King, 23, spent two months in a South Korean prison over assault charges and was released on July 10. He was set to be taken to Fort Bliss in Austin, Texas. According to an official, he had passed through security but for some reason, he decided to bolt. Two US officials said that King was due to face disciplinary action by the US military but wasn’t in custody at the time. At the airport, there were advertisements for civilian tours of the demilitarized zone, which King appeared to have joined.
A US official said that King’s administrative status would be addressed following his successful reintegration. Although it is unclear whether he would face a court martial.
Meanwhile, another official said, King was headed to Brooke Army Medical Center in Texas, located at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston.