The U.S. military was scrambling on Wednesday, July 19 to determine the fate of an American soldier who made an unauthorized crossing of the inter-Korean border into North Korea.
The situation has now thrown Washington into a new crisis in its dealing with the nuclear-armed state.
The U.S. Army identified the soldier as Private Travis T. King who joined in 2021 and was facing disciplinary action.
While on an orientation tour of the Joint Security Area (JSA) on the border between the two Koreas, King crossed into North Korea on Tuesday “wilfully and without authorization,” U.S. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said.
The soldier was on a tour of the Panmunjom truce village when he crossed the Military Demarcation Line. The demarcation line has separated the two Koreas since the Korean War ended in 1953 with an armistice.
“We believe that he is in (North Korean) custody. We’re closely monitoring and investigating the situation and working to notify the soldier’s next of kin,” Austin told a briefing.
North Korea’s state media has made no mention of the incident. Its mission to the United Nations in New York did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The crossing comes at a time of renewed tension on the Korean peninsula. The tension is arising from the arrival on Tuesday of a U.S. nuclear-armed ballistic missile submarine, and the test launch early on Wednesday of two ballistic missiles into the sea by North Korea.
The short-range missiles were fired from an area near its capital, Pyongyang. They flew 550 km and 600 km before plunging into the sea off its east coast, South Korea’s military said.
North Korea has been testing increasingly powerful missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads, including a new solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile last week.
The U.N. Command (UNC), which oversees security for the border area, had communicated over a hotline with the North Koreans about the U.S. soldier, a spokesperson for U.S. Forces Korea said.
The U.S. military was “working with our KPA counterparts to resolve this incident,” Colonel Isaac Taylor said. The KPA counterparts he was referring to is the North Korea’s People’s Army.
“We communicate with the North Koreans every single day,” he said. “It’s all part of the armistice agreement.”
His motive is not known. While based in South Korea, he faced accusations of assault and damaging a police car in an October incident. He pled guilty and was sentenced in February to a fine, a court document seen by Reuters showed.
King had finished serving in military detention and was transported by the U.S. military to the airport. He was scheduled to return to his home unit in the United States, according to U.S. officials.
He had passed alone through security to his gate and then fled, one official said. Civilian tours of the demilitarized zone (DMZ) are advertised at the airport and King appeared to have decided to join one, an official said.
U.S. officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the soldier had been due to face military disciplinary action. It was not clear if that was related to the October incident.
South Korea’s Unification Ministry, which handles ties with the North, said all tours to Panmunjom had been cancelled indefinitely at the U.N. Command’s request. But Imjingak in Paju that marks the end of the road before the military-controlled bridge leading into the DMZ was bustling with tourists.
It was unclear how long North Korean authorities would hold the soldier. However, analysts said the incident could be valuable propaganda for the isolated country.
