The flight to North Korea of US soldier Travis King, who faced disciplinary action upon his return to the US, adds further uncertainty to the already tense relationship between Washington and Pyongyang. When a US nuclear submarine docked at a South Korean port for the first time since 1981, Kim Jong-un’s regime responded yesterday by firing two short-range ballistic missiles into the sea. North Koreans remained silent about the fate of Travis King.
23-year-old US 1st Armored Division soldier 2nd Class was touring the village of Panmunjom in the Demilitarized Zone when he crossed the border from South Korea to North Korea. According to other tourists who were part of the tour (the group consisted of 43 people), King laughed and ran the other way, while a US serviceman (who patrols the area with the South Koreans) continued to yell for them to grab him, but to no avail. Soldiers are not allowed to cross to the other side, not even in pursuit.
The Pentagon confirmed he crossed the border “intentionally and without authorization” and is suspected of being detained by North Korean authorities. The US is trying to get in touch with the Pyongyang regime to confirm the situation, but this has proved difficult as the two countries do not maintain diplomatic relations. The “dialogue” has been established through missile tests (more than 100 since early 2022) on the North Korean side and joint military exercises with the South Koreans on the US side.
Yesterday, two more missiles were launched from the Sunan area of Pyongyang, having traveled about 550 kilometers before falling into the Sea of Japan. South Korea has criticized the launches, which are ostensibly in retaliation for the presence of a US nuclear submarine in Busan – for the first time in 40 years. Last week, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un witnessed the launch of a new intercontinental ballistic missile, with analysts suspecting he was preparing another nuclear test.
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King, who took office in 2021, could eventually be used as a bargaining chip or to serve Pyongyang’s propaganda. However, yesterday the official media still did not refer to the military, which is not the best example.
The American soldier had numerous problems with South Korean authorities after spending two months in detention, allegedly for causing damage to a police car in October (he pleaded guilty in court in February). He would also have assaulted someone in a bar in September. He had been released on July 10 and was reportedly going to be returned to the US where he would face disciplinary action, but he had already escaped at the airport before joining the tour.
The fact that it is necessary to provide the passport number and other details days in advance to participate in these visits suggests that the escape was planned – despite the fact that these tours are advertised at Incheon airport. However, the mother told the American media that she was shocked by the case. “I don’t see Travis doing such a thing,” Claudine Gates told ABC News, explaining that he told her a few days ago that he was on his way to his base at Fort Bliss, Texas.
Travis’s case is rare, but not the only one.. In 1962, at the age of 21, 21-year-old James Joseph Dresnok – who was divorced and would face military court for forging a superior’s signature – risked his life by crossing a mining area into Northern Korea. He died in 2017, after a career in which he worked as an actor in several propaganda films – he played the role of the American villain. Charles Robert Jenkins, drunk, already crossed the border where he was patrolling in 1965 to avoid being sent to fight in Vietnam. He was not allowed to leave the country until 2004, after he had also participated in propaganda films and had taught English to soldiers. Died in 2017.
Several destinations had caught other North Americans on the other side of the border. The most recent case was that of student Otto Warmbier, who was part of a tourist group and was stopped on his way out after removing a sign from a hotel in Pyongyang. Sentenced to 15 years of hard labor, he returned to the US in a coma after 18 months of detention, and died six days later.
One step away from North Korea
The demilitarized zone that divides the Korean province in two is one of the most fortified in the world, but in the village of Panmunjom it only takes one step to cross from South Korea to the north. Let former US president Donald Trump say it, who took that step in 2019 together with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un. Before the covid-19 pandemic, several tourist visits were organized from Seoul, which have gradually resumed in recent months. One of the highlights is being able to cross the border, but this is only allowed in one of the blue buildings where the ceasefire was signed in 1953 that lasts to this day (technically the two are countries still at war). Outside a small concrete step is all that marks the boundary, guards are always present in the south – in the north they are less frequent due to covid. The soldiers have not been armed since an agreement signed in 2018.
Source: DN
