A South Korean soldier stands guard at the Joint Security Area inside the Demilitarized Zone, May 9, 2023. (David Choi/Stars and Stripes)
CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea — North Korea acknowledged for the first time Wednesday that it has custody of a runaway U.S. soldier who fled into the country a month ago.
North Korea apprehended Army Pvt. Travis King, 23, after he dashed into the country during a group tour of the heavily guarded Joint Security Area on July 18, according to the state-run Korean Central News Agency.
King “admitted that he illegally intruded” into the country and claimed he had been mistreated by the Army and racially discriminated against while serving, according to KCNA.
This family photo shows a portrait of American soldier Travis King displayed at the home of his grandfather Carl Gates, Wednesday, July 19, 2023, in Kenosha, Wis. Pvt. King bolted into North Korea while on a tour of the Demilitarized Zone on Tuesday, July 18, a day after he was supposed to travel to Fort Bliss, Texas. (Family Photo/AP)
“He also expressed his willingness to seek refuge in [North Korea] or a third country, saying that he was disillusioned at the unequal American society,” the report states.
The U.S. Defense Department in an email to Stars and Stripes on Wednesday said it was not able to “verify these alleged comments” in KCNA’s report.
“We remain focused on his safe return,” an unnamed Defense Department spokesperson wrote. “The Department’s priority is to bring Private King home, and we are working through all available channels to achieve that outcome.”
The KCNA report marks the first time the communist regime has publicly confirmed King’s detention since his dash across the inter-Korean border last month.
An official with U.N. Command last month confirmed that talks with North Korea for King’s release have taken place but released few details about his status, citing the ongoing negotiations.
“The primary concern for us is Pvt. King’s welfare,” deputy commander British Lt. Gen. Andrew Harrison said during a press briefing July 24.
King was part of a U.N. Command-sponsored tour at the security area along the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone, roughly 30 miles north of Seoul, on the day of his escape.
The Joint Security area, established in 1953, is the site where U.N. Command and North Korean delegates negotiated the end of the three-year Korean War. Those negotiations resulted in an armistice agreement, rather than a peace treaty.
King, a cavalry scout, was released from a South Korean prison on July 10 after spending six weeks there for assault charges.
South Korean court records indicate King pleaded guilty to an assault charge in Seoul.
King refused to answer questions from police responding to an assault Oct. 8. He kicked the door of a squad car and yelled obscenities toward the police, records state.
Days after his release, King was booked on a flight to Fort Bliss, Texas, where he was supposed to face disciplinary hearings from the Army. King did not board the flight from Incheon International Airport and instead made his way to Seoul, roughly 30 miles away, where he attended a pre-scheduled tour of the Demilitarized Zone, according to military reports reviewed by online news site The Messenger.
