The report did not specify where the DPRK will send the 23-year-old American citizen, who crossed over the inter-Korean border during a tour of the Joint Security Area on July 18.
“The investigation into Travis King, a soldier of the U.S. Army who was detained after illegally intruding into the territory of the DPRK in the joint security area of Panmunjom on July 18, has been finished,” Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.
“According to the investigation by a relevant organ of the DPRK, Travis King confessed that he illegally intruded into the territory of the DPRK as he harbored ill feeling against inhuman maltreatment and racial discrimination within the U.S. army and was disillusioned about the unequal U.S. society.”
“The relevant organ of the DPRK decided to expel Travis King, a soldier of the U.S. Army who illegally intruded into the territory of the DPRK, under the law of the Republic,” the report concluded, without explaining how the handover will be conducted and when.
North Korea previously claimed that King had fled racism when it first acknowledged he was in DPRK custody in August, stating that he sought “asylum in our country or a third country.”“U.S. officials have secured the return of Private Travis King from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. We appreciate the dedication of the interagency team that has worked tirelessly out of concern for Private King’s wellbeing,” stated Jake Sullivan, the U.S. National Security Advisor, in a statement.
“In addition, we thank the government of Sweden for its diplomatic role serving as the protecting power for the United States in the DPRK and the government of the People’s Republic of China for its assistance in facilitating the transit of Private King.”
The Associated Press reported late Wednesday night that King was transferred to China and is in American custody, citing an anonymous U.S. official. Washington previously said it was working with Sweden, which represents the U.S. and other countries that do not have diplomatic relations with the DPRK, on King’s case.
Experts recently told NK News that the DPRK would most likely send King to China or Russia if it decided to deport him to a third country.The suggested other possibilities like sending the American soldier to Mongolia or a country in Southeast Asia would be akin to returning him to the U.S., since these countries would have little reason to keep him.Notably, a Russian military plane that made an unannounced trip from Moscow to Pyongyang on Tuesday departed back toward Russia on Wednesday evening, according to flight tracker Flightradar24, though it’s unclear whether the flight is related to King’s case.The soldier appeared to be attempting to escape disciplinary action after facing criminal charges in South Korea. He spent over a month in a detention facility for physically assaulting a ROK national, damaging police vehicles and verbally abusing police officers while under the influence.
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