U.S. regains custody of soldier who ran into North Korean territory
White House says no concessions were made to North Korea in order to regain custody of Travis King
The United States has secured the release of an American soldier who sprinted into North Korea more than two months ago, and he is on his way back to the U.S., officials announced Wednesday. U.S. ally Sweden and rival China helped with the transfer.
Left unanswered were questions of why Pyongyang — which has tense relations with Washington over the North's nuclear program, support for Russia's war in Ukraine and other issues — had agreed to turn him over and why the soldier had fled in the first place.
North Korea had abruptly announced earlier Wednesday that it would would expel Travis King — though some had expected the North to drag out his detention in hopes of squeezing concessions from the U.S. at a time of high tensions between the two countries.
"U.S. officials have secured the return of Private Travis King from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea," White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said in a statement. "We appreciate the dedication of the interagency team that has worked tirelessly out of concern for Private King's well-being."
Officials said they did not know exactly why North Korea decided to expel King, but they suspected Pyongyang determined that as a low-ranking service member, he had no real value in terms of either leverage or information. One official, who was not authorized to comment and requested anonymity, said the North Koreans may have decided that King, 23, was more trouble to keep than to simply release him.
Swedish officials took King to the Chinese border, where he was met by the U.S. ambassador to China, Nicholas Burns; the Swedish ambassador to China; and at least one U.S. Defence Department official. Administration officials insisted they provided no concessions to North Korea to secure the soldier's release.
"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," Sullivan said.
King was flown to an American military base in South Korea before being returned to the U.S.
Soldier declared AWOL
King's expulsion almost certainly does not end his troubles or ensure the sort of celebratory homecoming that has accompanied the releases of other detained Americans. He has been declared AWOL from the army, which can mean military jail, forfeiture of pay or a dishonourable discharge.
In the near term, officials said that their focus would be on helping King reintegrate into U.S. society.
The soldier was in "good spirits and good health" upon his release, according to one senior administration official.
He was expected to arrive overnight and be taken to Brooke Army Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston in Texas, officials said.
King, who had served in South Korea, ran into North Korea while on a civilian tour of a border village on July 18, becoming the first American confirmed to be detained in the North in nearly five years.
At the time he crossed the border, King was supposed to be heading to Fort Bliss, Texas, following his release from prison in South Korea on an assault conviction.
Complicated legal situation
King's legal situation remains complicated because he willingly bolted into enemy hands, so legally he would be in military custody throughout the process.
Sweden was the chief interlocutor with North Korea on the transfer, while China helped facilitate his transfer, administration officials said. Biden administration officials expressed gratitude for China's assistance with the transfer but underscored that Beijing did not play a mediating role in securing King's release.
The U.S. first learned through Swedish officials earlier this month that North Korea was looking to expel King. That information accelerated the effort to release the soldier, with Sweden acting on behalf of the U.S. in its talks with the North, an official said.
On Wednesday, the North's official Korean Central News Agency reported that authorities had finished their questioning of King. It said that he confessed to illegally entering the North because he harboured "ill feeling against inhuman maltreatment and racial discrimination" within the U.S. army and was "disillusioned about the unequal U.S. society."
It had attributed similar comments to King before, and verifying their authenticity is impossible. Some previous foreign detainees have said after their releases that declarations of guilt while in North Korean custody were made under coercion.
The White House did not address the North Korean state media reports. One senior administration official said that King was "very happy" to be on his way back to the United States.
In an interview last month with The Associated Press, King's mother, Claudine Gates, said her son had reason to want to come home.
She thanked the U.S. government on Wednesday for securing her son's release.