U.S. soldier facing disciplinary action detained by North Korea after crossing border

A U.S. soldier was detained by North Korea after crossing the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) at the South Korean border “wilfully and without authorization,” American officials announced on Tuesday. 

U.S. officials identified the soldier as 23-year old Private 2nd Class Travis King, who had been in the U.S. Army since January 2021, and served as a scout. King was detained in South Korea for assault and was released around a week ago to officials at U.S. Army Garrison Humphreys, the main base in the country. 

King was taken to Incheon airport to board a flight back to the U.S. to face possible disciplinary actions. However, after being separated from his escort at customs, he somehow returned and boarded a tour group visiting the DMZ, officials said. 

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin confirmed that a soldier crossed the Military Demarcation Line separating the two countries “willfully and without authorization” during the civilian tour of the DMZ. 

"We believe that he is in DPRK (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) custody," Austin said during a news conference. "And so we're closely monitoring and investigating the situation and working to notify the soldier's next of kin and engaging to address this incident."

"In terms of my concerns, I'm absolutely foremost concerned about the welfare of our troop, and so we will remain focused on this," Austin added.

The United Nations Command, which operates the Joint Security Area separating North and South Korea, said it was working with the North Korean Army to resolve the incident. It remains unclear if King planned to defect. 

North Korea’s state media has not addressed the border crossing. King is believed to be the first U.S. soldier to cross into North Korea since 1982. 

An witness that was part of the same tour group as King said they had just exited one of the buildings at the site when a man laughed out loud and ran between buildings, crossing the border. The tour group was rushed back to a building to give statements and then boarded the bus to return to Seoul. 

"I'm telling you this because it actually hit me quite hard," the witness said. "It was on the way back on the bus, and we got to one of the checkpoints... Someone said we were 43 going in and 42 coming back."

King served about two months in a South Korean jail on assault charges, according to a South Korean official who spoke to the AFP news agency. South Korean media reported he was accused of kicking the door of a police patrol car and shouting at officers.