For the first time, North Korea has apparently commented on the status, and alleged grievances, of the U.S. soldier who fled across the border from South Korea in July.
The Wall Street Journal reported statements from the North Korean state media about the U.S. soldier.
According to the report, Pvt. Second Class Travis King allegedly entered the country illegally and asked to “seek refuge” in North Korea or another country.
King purportedly told North Korean investigators that he “harbored ill feeling[s]” against the U.S. Army and was “disillusioned at the unequal American society,” according to North Korean state media.
Pyongyang informed the U.S. that it had the 23-year-old in custody in July after he crossed through the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) between the two Koreas.
King had been stationed in South Korea, where South Korean authorities had recently imprisoned him on assault charges. He was due to fly back to the U.S. to face military disciplinary action.
A military escort had taken him to Incheon Airport to board an American Airlines flight to Texas. But as the escort could not follow him through security, once on the other side King apparently slipped away and joined a tourist excursion to the DMZ nearly 12 hours later, according to the WSJ.
From there, King made his successful break for the border, according to an eyewitness, reported The Associated Press.
Sarah Leslie, who was in the same tour group as King, said it was towards the end of the tour when she saw him running “really fast” towards the border as a U.S. soldier yelled, “Get that guy,” per AP.
According to the North Koreans, King was detained around 3:30 p.m. on July 18 near a border building that has previously served as a meeting location between officials of the Koreas.
Speaking at a security conference in Aspen in July, Army Secretary Christine Wormuth said, “I worry about him, frankly,” noting that King’s legal troubles may have contributed to his decision to escape to North Korea, per the WSJ.
“We haven’t successfully made contact with North Korea,” said Wormuth. “We want to get him back to the United States. I worry about how they may treat him.”
The recent report from North Korean state media did not mention King’s health. It also neglected to say whether he would face punishment, noting only that the investigation was ongoing.
The Pentagon said North Korea’s statements could not be verified and that the Army’s priority was to use all avenues available to gain King’s release, per the WSJ.
As the U.S. does not have direct diplomatic ties with Pyongyang, Sweden is serving as a go-between for negotiations, reported the WSJ.
Only a handful of American service members have willfully crossed over the border to North Korea like King, with the last known defection happening in 1982.
Pyongyang has often used these defectors for propaganda purposes to highlight the shortcomings of the West, historian Erik Scott told NPR.