US soldier in North Korea custody after crossing border while laughing
- Pentagon says Private 2nd Class Travis King was taking part in a tour to the Joint Security Area, the border village in the DMZ separating the two Koreas
- A witness says King, who was not in uniform, was laughing as he ran ‘in between some buildings’ across border
A United States soldier crossed the inter-Korean border into North Korea and was being held in custody by the country’s government, the US State Department and the Pentagon confirmed on Tuesday.
US and Korean officials identified Private 2nd Class Travis King, who had been previously held in military detention in South Korea for disciplinary reasons, as the soldier now held by North Korea.
CBS News reported that King was in the process of being expelled from the country when the incident occurred. After passing through airport security, he unexpectedly rejoined a tour group en route to the demilitarised zone (DMZ) and crossed the border into North Korea.
Positioned approximately along the 38th parallel, the DMZ functions as the de facto international border between the two Koreas. It is extensively fortified and equipped with landmines on both sides.
A person who said she was part of the tour group and witnessed the incident told CBS that they were at the scene when “this man gives out a loud ‘ha ha ha’ and just runs in between some buildings”.
Citing a Pentagon source, NPR reported that King was wearing civilian clothes at the time.