The saga of Travis King, a United States soldier who attempted defection to North Korea, has been one of the most unusual in recent memory and it took an even stranger turn when North Korea expelled King and gave him over to American authorities on September 27th. King was a United States Army soldier who had been stationed in South Korea since February 2022. King had been involved in numerous legal incidents while stationed in South Korea and was arrested by Seoul officials and spent 47 days in jail as a result of an assault conviction. King was set to be sent back to the United States to face disciplinary action from the Army as a result of his actions in South Korea.
King instead dodged his flight and instead snuck into a civilian tour of the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), the border between the South and North. At the Joint Security Area, the area of the DMZ where forces of both sides stand face to face, King took off running into North Korea. According to eyewitnesses interviewed by NBC, he shouted “Ha ha ha!” at South Korean soldiers as he ran into the North. King was taken into custody by North Korean officials shortly after running in.
Later that day, U.S. Forces in Korea released a statement saying King “…willfully and without authorization crossed the Military Demarcation Line into the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea” and that the Army would be in contact with the North Korean Army to resolve the incident. Days later, The Department of Defense declared King to be AWOL and refused to classify him as a prisoner of war. On July 24th, the Korean Central News Agency, North Korea’s state propaganda and news outlet, told the public King illegally crossed into the nation seeking refuge due to “disillusionment with American society” and racism in the U.S. Army. Though it is impossible to verify this statement due to the nature of the KCNA’s status as a propaganda network. King was the first American to be detained in North Korea since 2018 and the first defector to North Korea from the U.S. since 1982.
However, on the 27th, the KCNA reported that King would be “expelled” from the nation. He was returned to American custody in China with the transfer negotiated by Swedish officials. King arrived in Texas the next morning and was said to be in “good health and spirits” by the Army. King’s family expressed relief over his safe return. The peaceful return of King also has stirred optimism in future diplomatic discussions between North Korea and the U.S.
