Travis King, a US soldier, arrives in Texas after being released from North Korea:
According to CNN, King arrived aboard a US military plane and landed at Kelly Field at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston.
According to CNN, US Army Private Travis King arrived at a US military post in Texas early Thursday after being expelled from North Korea after a surprise rush across the heavily guarded border two months ago.
According to CNN, King arrived aboard a US military plane and landed at Kelly Field at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston. A group of people was seen departing a plane at the base on television. King will be examined at Brooke Army Medical Center, a hospital on Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston. Brittney Griner, a basketball star, was treated there in December after a prisoner swap with Russia ended her 10-month captivity in Russia.
The US government has stated that upon his return, King will be evaluated and then reintegrated so that he can be reunited with his family. King, 23, was on a civilian tour of the heavily fortified border when he ran into North Korea from the south on July 18 and was promptly brought into North Korean custody.
It was unclear whether King would face disciplinary action by the US Army, which has taken a cautious approach to his case. Even though he crossed the border without authorization while on active duty, the Army has not labeled him a deserter.
North Korea, for its part, appears to have viewed his case as one of unlawful immigration.
According to North Korea’s official news agency, KCNA, King told Pyongyang that he entered the country illegally because he was “disillusioned about unequal US society.”
The Swedish government, which represents US interests in North Korea because Washington does not have a diplomatic representation there, rescued King and took him to China.
According to the State Department, US Ambassador to Beijing Nicholas Burns met with King in Dandong, China, a city bordering North Korea. King then flew to Shenyang, China, and then to Osan Air Force Base in South Korea before returning to the United States.
In South Korea, King, who joined the US army in January 2021, was accused of two counts of assault. According to court documents, he pled guilty to one count of assault and destroying public property for damaging a police car during a profanity-laced outburst against Koreans. When he returned to the United States, he was supposed to face more disciplinary proceedings. In July, King had completed his military imprisonment and was waiting for US military transfer to his home unit in the United States. Instead, he exited the airport and joined a tour of the border area, where he raced into North Korea despite South Korean and US guards’ attempts to stop him.
