North Korea likely to claim US soldier ‘defected from imperialist America’ in propaganda blitz
- The United Nations Command is attempting to bring back Travis King, who is believed to be held by Pyongyang after he dashed across the inter-Korean border
- The North, which has not yet made any public comments, is expected to use King to gain the ‘upper hand’ in lapsed nuclear negotiations with the US, an analyst says
Private Second Class Travis King, 23, is believed to be held by the North after he crossed the military demarcation line “wilfully and without authorisation” during a civilian tour of the neutral Joint Security Area (JSA), US officials said.
British Lieutenant-General Andrew Harrison on Monday said the UNC – which helps maintain the armistice signed at the end of the Korean war – had started contacting North Korea over the extremely sensitive issue.
“There is someone’s welfare at stake and clearly, we’re in a very difficult and complex situation, which I don’t want to risk by speculation or going into too much detail about communications that have existed,” said Harrison, the UNC’s deputy commander.
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North Korea silent on fate of US soldier Travis King after he bolted across the border
Park Won-gon, a political-science professor at Ewha University, said King would likely serve as a propaganda tool for the poverty-stricken North.