U.S. officials said Thursday that they had no information on the whereabouts or condition of an Army soldier who crossed into North Korea without authorization and had not spoken to North Korean authorities about the incident.
The soldier, Pvt.
Travis T. King, was supposed to fly to Texas on Tuesday to face disciplinary actions for misconduct.
But instead of boarding his flight at the international airport in Incheon, about 30 miles west of Seoul, he joined a civilian group that went to tour the joint security area between North and South Korea at Panmunjom, where he ran across the border and was taken into custody by North Korean forces.
John Kirby, a spokesman for the National Security Council, said the administration is “doing everything we can” to determine the soldier’s condition and “making it clear that we want to see him safely and quickly returned to the United States and to his family.”But winning Private King’s release — and learning about his status — is greatly complicated by a deep diplomatic freeze between the United States and North Korea, which technically remain at war.
Persons:
Travis T, John Kirby
Organizations:
Army, North, National Security Council
Locations:
North Korea, Texas, Incheon, Seoul, North, South Korea, Panmunjom, North Korean, United States