North Korea has captured a US soldier for the illegal crossing of the border from South Korea. The soldier is said to be facing disciplinary punishment for willingly violating the law.
US military has announced that a US soldier is being held in North Korea after illegally crossing the border from South Korea.
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The crisis comes at an especially difficult moment for the North, which is one of the world’s most isolated states. The United States advises its people not to travel there.
Travis King, 23, crossed from South Korea into North Korea after participating in a Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) border tour.
He was being transported back to the US at the time, apparently to face disciplinary action, but he appears to have given his escort the slip at the incheon airport instead of boarding a flight.
He then exited the terminal and travelled 54 kilometres (34 miles) to the border crossing.
An eyewitness on the same border tour said he heard the soldier laughing loudly before fleeing.
The United Nations Command, which controls the DMZ, said the soldier was thought to be in North Korean captivity.
A senior US commander stated that no contact had been made with the soldier and that the matter was being probed by US Forces Korea.
According to US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin, the Pentagon’s primary concern is the soldiers’ well-being.
According to the Associated Press, who cited US authorities, the soldier was facing disciplinary punishment after being imprisoned in South Korea on assault accusations.
According to a defence officer, the soldier “wilfully” committed the crime by crossing the border.
The recent escalation of tensions on the Korean peninsula has become a higher priority for US President Joe Biden’s administration in terms of international policy.
The event occurred on the same day that a US nuclear missile submarine arrived in the South Korean port of Busan, causing the North Koreans to get enraged.
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The move came in response to over a hundred fresh North Korean missile launches in recent years.
The soldier could become a fresh bargaining chip for the North in its dealings with the US.
