Who is Travis King, the American soldier detained in North Korea?
King had been released from his service in the U.S. Army and was to be sent home before he crossed the border from South Korea.
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U.S. citizen and former Army private Travis King remains in custody in North Korea after crossing the demilitarized zone from South Korea during a civilian tour on Tuesday.
The 23-year-old serviceman was visiting the so-called peace village of Panmunjom with a group tour when he reportedly ran “really fast” into North Korean territory. He had recently been released from service in the U.S. Army, having served in South Korea as a private.
Here’s what we know so far.
Why did he cross the border?
It remains unclear why King crossed into North Korea. He “willfully and without authorization” crossed the border, according to Col. Isaac Taylor of the U.S. Forces Korea Public Affairs.
King joined 42 other tourists in Seoul on Tuesday morning for a tour of the DMZ. One tourist in the group, Sarah Leslie, told the Associated Press that she had no idea he was a soldier and that it seemed he was by himself. It was toward the end of the tour that Leslie saw King sprint across the border. “I assumed initially he had a mate filming him in some kind of really stupid prank or stunt, like a TikTok, the most stupid thing you could do,” she said. “But then I heard one of the soldiers shout, ‘Get that guy.’” King wasn’t seen again.
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What do we know about King?
King had been discharged from his post and was being sent back to Fort Bliss, his Texas army base, to face disciplinary action after serving time in a South Korean jail for assault. According to the BBC, he had punched a Korean national outside a Seoul nightclub in September 2022 and “repeatedly kicked” a police car during the arrest. He was released from prison on July 10 after serving two months.
The day before he bolted to North Korea, King had been escorted to Incheon International Airport in South Korea by military police officers. However, he did not board his flight back to the U.S., reportedly telling an American Airlines employee that his passport was missing. It is unknown how he left the airport.
What have U.S. officials said?
Matthew Miller, a spokesman for the State Department, said the Pentagon had reached out to Pyongyang about King but added that those communications “had not yet been answered.” Miller went on to say that Washington had been in talks with Sweden, which acts as a diplomatic channel between the U.S. and North Korea, about King’s whereabouts. “The administration has and will continue to actively work to ensure his safety and return him home to his family,” Miller said.
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What has North Korea said?
As of Thursday, Pyongyang has remained silent about King’s entry.
What has his family said?
Speaking outside her home in Wisconsin on Thursday, King’s mother, Claudine Gates, said, “I just want my son back. Get my son home.”
King’s uncle Myron Gates told reporters that the behavior had been “out of character” and that his nephew was a quiet person who read the Bible. “I’ve never seen him get down like that, ever,” he said. “Something’s going on. This is not his personality.”
Carl Gates, King's grandfather, said the young man had been acting out since his 6-year-old cousin died of a rare genetic disorder. “He’s still grieving, and that had a lot to do with what he did,” Carl Gates said.
