Private Travis King, the American GI who dashed across the heavily-guarded border into North Korea this week after his release from a South Korean prison, is now officially considered AWOL by the military, Pentagon officials said Thursday.
The Defense Department is working with intelligence agencies and countries like Sweden that often represent U.S. interests there for any scraps of information about Private King’s whereabouts. So far, the regime of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has said nothing publicly about the bizarre incident.
“We have not had any communication or correspondence from the North Koreans on this incident,” Sabrina Singh, a Pentagon spokesperson, told reporters. “Our priority is to bring an American home.”
Private King, 23, spent almost 50 days in a South Korean prison after he failed to pay a $4,000 fine for damaging a police car. According to local media reports, he had been arrested after a fight at a nightclub.
“He reportedly did not cooperate with police officers demanding his personal information and kicked the door of the police car while shouting foul language against Koreans and the Korean military,” the Yonhap News Agency said.
Private King was held from May 24 to July 10 at a penitentiary in Cheonan, about 50 miles south of Seoul, the South Korean capital. He was then released into the custody of U.S. military officials.
Based at Fort Bliss in Texas, Private King was in South Korea on an extended deployment. Following his release from the South Korean prison, he was expected to be returned to his original unit in Texas.
“He was facing additional disciplinary actions once he returned home,” Ms. Singh said.
On Tuesday, Private King was escorted by the U.S. military to Incheon International Airport outside Seoul but Pentagon officials noted that he wasn’t in custody at the time. He had not been charged with a criminal offense under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, the system of criminal law for the U.S. armed forces.
Private King’s escorts were not allowed to go beyond the airport’s security checkpoint. Although he sent a message that he was near the gate, Private King fled the airport. Dressed in civilian clothes, te then joined a tour group going to the heavily-guarded border between North and South Korea.
“I don’t think anyone anticipated that he was going to leave the airport,” Ms. Singh said.
Private King’s motivation for crossing the border into North Korea remains a mystery. The Defense Department said they are not yet ready to consider him a defector. As a low-ranking Army cavalry scout, it’s unlikely he was privy to much information that would have been coveted by the Kim regime.
“The Army has launched an investigation into this incident. It’s going to be led by Army counterintelligence personnel,” Ms. Singh said.
• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.
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