Watch the moment Racine native Travis King steps onto U.S. soil after more than 2 months in North Korea

Images emerged Thursday of Racine native Travis King stepping onto U.S. soil more than two months after he ran across the heavily guarded border into North Korea.

The 23-year-old U.S. Army private became the first American confirmed to be detained in the reclusive country in nearly five years, which sparked international headlines.

King sprinted into the country through the Demilitarized Zone on July 18 after being released from a South Korea prison on an assault conviction. He was released on July 10 and was to be returned home to Fort Bliss, Texas where he could have faced additional military discipline and discharge from the service.

Instead, he was escorted as far as customs but left the airport before boarding his plane. On July 18, King joined a tour group at the Demilitarized Zone and decided to run into North Korea where he detained by North Korean officials shortly thereafter.

Some 72 days later, U.S. officials said Thursday that King landed in San Antonio, Texas after he was expelled from North Korea on Wednesday. His release was secured with the help of Sweden and China.

King's arrival was captured on video by San Antonio TV station KSAT. Dressed in a dark top and pants, he could be seen speaking briefly with people waiting on the tarmac. He shook hands with one before being led into a building.

King appeared to be in “good health” and “good spirits,” senior administration officials told USA TODAY on a condition of anonymity this week. King had already spoken with his family.

King is a 2020 graduate of Park High School in Racine and his family lives in the area.

Claudine Gates, King's mother, will be “forever grateful to the United States Army and all its interagency partners for a job well done," said Jonathan Franks, a spokesperson for King's family.

“We can confirm that Pvt. King was very happy to be on his way home,” an official told reporters Wednesday.

The state-run North Korean Central News Agency claimed that King confessed "that he illegally intruded" into the country because "he harbored ill feeling against inhuman maltreatment and racial discrimination within the U.S. Army" and that "he was disillusioned at the unequal American society."

The Associated Press said the White House has not addressed those reports. Matthew Miller, the spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, declined to comment, saying he didn't want to speculate on the motives of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

King's legal troubles are likely far from over, but first he will undergo an array of medical and psychological assessments and debriefings.

He was declared AWOL from the Army, but not considered a deserter. Punishment for going AWOL can vary, and it depends in part on whether the service member voluntarily returned or was apprehended. King’s two-month absence and ultimate handover by the North Koreans makes that more complicated.

It's unclear if King will face charges as U.S. officials said their focus is on the physical and mental well-being of King.

Biden administration officials insisted they provided no concessions to North Korea to secure his release.

Contributing: The Associated Press

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Video shows Travis King step onto U.S. soil after North Korea expulsion