North Korea remains silent on apparent detention of US Army soldier who illegally crossed border
Associated Press (AP), despite North Korea test-firing short-range missiles as a display of weapons, there was no information regarding the fate of Private 2nd Class Travis King, who was detained in North Korea. It is important to note that the missile launches were believed to be a protest against the deployment of a US nuclear-armed submarine in South Korea and were likely unrelated to King's border crossing. “It’s likely that North Korea will use the soldier for propaganda purposes in the short term and then as a bargaining chip in the mid-to-long term," said Yang Moo-jin, president of the University of North Korean Studies in South Korea.
Travis King, a 23-year-old cavalry scout from the 1st Armored Division, had been serving a two-month sentence in a South Korean prison for assault. After his release on July 10, he was scheduled to return home to Fort Bliss, Texas on Monday. However, his actions of crossing into North Korea could have led to further military discipline and potential discharge from the service.
After being escorted to customs at the airport, Private 2nd Class Travis King left before boarding his plane, and it remains unclear how he spent the hours until he joined the Panmunjom tour and crossed the border on Tuesday afternoon. The Army released his name and some information after notifying King's family, while several US officials anonymously provided additional details due to the sensitivity of the situation. King’s mother told ABC News she was shocked when she heard her son had crossed into North Korea.
“I can’t see Travis doing anything like that," Claudine Gates, of Racine, Wisconsin, said. Gates said that the Army told her on Tuesday morning of his son's entrance to North Korea. She said she last
. Read more on livemint.com
