Travis King showed signs of defecting before fleeing to N. Korea
American soldier Travis King had shown signs of possibly defecting from the Army nearly a year before he fled into North Korean territory, telling military officials while serving in South Korea that he would not “return to post or America.”
The 23-year-old was the first soldier in decades to defect to North Korea when he bolted across the border on Tuesday.
His fate once he entered the Hermit Kingdom is still unknown as officials there have ignored diplomatic outreach.
It was not the first sign of trouble for the Wisconsin native, who was facing assault allegations over a fight at a club on Sept. 25.
Weeks earlier, on Sept. 4, while serving at Camp Bonifas near the southern end of the Demilitarized Zone that separates North and South Korea, King skipped out on his daily formation and took off to a nearby city, ABC News reported.
When the base managed to reach King, who served as a cavalry scout, he “refused to return to post or America,” a U.S. official told the outlet.
King was later found in the city of Uijeongbu, roughly 25 miles southeast of Camp Bonifas.
Speaking at the Aspen Security Forum in Aspen, Colorado, on Friday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken made his first public comments about King.
“We are very concerned, of course, about his well-being. We’d like to know his whereabouts,” Blinken told NBC’s Andrea Mitchell.
King previously told officials that he would not “return to post or America.” AP
“We’ve communicated to North Korea, seeking that information. I don’t have anything more at this point.”
Asked whether Pyongyang might torture King, Blinken said: “There are certainly concerns based on what we’ve seen in the past and the way that North Korea has treated those it’s detained.”
King, an Army Private 2nd Class, was scheduled to return to the United States on Monday but managed to slip past his military escort and was seen wearing civilian clothes during a tour of the Joint Security Area inside the DMZ.
King, an Army Private 2nd Class, was scheduled to return to the United States on Monday. ZUMAPRESS.com
US officials said King had made a “deliberate decision” to enter North Korea, but have yet to explain how he managed to outsmart his handlers at Incheon International Airport — and make it all the way to the village of Panmunjom inside the DMZ the next day.
King, who reportedly shouted “ha ha ha” during his mad dash into North Korea, was heading to Fort Bliss after spending nearly two months at a South Korean detention center over the assault charge.
He faced a dishonorable discharge from the Army over his conviction, a defense source said.
King was seen wearing civilian clothes during a tour of the DMZ Joint Security Area on Tuesday. REUTERS
The soldier previously had been fined roughly $3,950 for damaging a South Korean police car in October.
King’s uncle, Carl Gates, said that his nephew had been “breaking down” over the February death of Gates’ 6-year-old son.
“When my son was on life support, and when my son passed away,” Gates said, “Travis started [being] reckless [and] crazy when he knew my son was about to die.”
Source: New York Post
