Soldier Travis King in US custody following China transfer after North Korea expulsion
- Officials don’t know why Pyongyang released the private, but suspect that his low rank meant he had no real value in terms of either leverage or information
- King, who had served in South Korea, sprinted into North Korea while on a civilian tour of a border village in July
The US soldier who sprinted into North Korea across the heavily fortified border between the Koreas two months ago has been released into American custody, the White House announced on Wednesday.
Earlier, North Korea had said it would expel Private Travis King – though some had expected the North to drag out his detention in hopes of squeezing concessions from Washington at a time of high tensions between the two countries.
“US 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 inter-agency 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 said they suspected that Pyongyang determined that as a low-ranking serviceman he had no real value in terms of either leverage or information. One official, who was not authorised to comment and requested anonymity, said the North Koreans may have decided that King was more trouble to keep than to simply release him.
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North Korea says Travis King wants refuge from US Army mistreatment
Swedish officials took King to the Chinese border, where he was met by the US Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns, the Swedish ambassador to China, and at least one US defence department official. Biden administration officials insisted they provided no concessions to North Korea to secure the soldier’s release.