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☆ In Mexico, a House That Returns to the Well
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Lauren Gallow | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

This article is part of our Design special section about water as a source of creativity. Years of abnormally low rainfall, higher-than-normal temperatures and aging infrastructure have led to a dangerously low water supply for Mexico City. The issue isn’t a new one for the Mexican capital — in 2014, it was ranked as the third most water-stressed of more than 150 of the planet’s largest cities. Now, the metropolis faces a water crisis so severe that local authorities recently began imposing rations. For Javier Sánchez, a low-slung earthen house just west of Mexico City, designed by his architectural firm JSa, reflects an obvious way out of the predicament.

Persons: Javier Sánchez Organizations: Mexico City, — Locations: Mexico, Mexico City

☆ US soldier was arrested in Russia last week
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Natasha Bertrand | Oren Liebermann | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —An American soldier was detained in Russia last week on suspicion of theft and is currently being held in pre-trial detention, according to two US officials. “The Army notified his family and the U.S. Department of State is providing appropriate consular support to the Soldier in Russia. The soldier was stationed in South Korea when he took leave to travel to Russia on his own, according to another US official. A State Department official confirmed that a US citizen had been detained in Russia but would not provide further details. Last July, another soldier stationed in South Korea willingly crossed into North Korea where he was immediately detained.

Persons: Gordon Black, ” “, ”, Cynthia Smith, “, Evan Gershkovich, Marine Paul Whelan, Ksenia Karelina, John Kirby, haven’t, ” Kirby, Travis King, King, CNN’s Jennifer Hansler, Kylie Atwood Organizations: CNN, US Army, Army, Russian Federation, U.S . Department of State, Vienna Convention, Consular Relations, Soldier, US State Department, Street, Marine, NBC News, State Department, US, National Security, Joint Security Area, Incheon International Locations: American, Russia, South Korea, Vladivostok “, Vienna, Ukraine, Cavazos, Texas, Moscow, North Korea, United States, Incheon, Seoul

☆ North Korea's Kim calls for military readiness against any 'provocation'
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Soo-Hyang Choi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visits Korean People's Army Air Force headquarters on the occasion of Aviation Day in North Korea, in this picture released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on December 1, 2023. On Thursday, the United States targeted North Korea with fresh sanctions over the satellite launch, designating foreign-based agents it accused of facilitating sanctions evasion. Local media reported that North Korean soldiers at the Joint Security Area (JSA) inside the DMZ had started carrying firearms again after the North withdrew from the inter-Korean military deal. The DMZ tours had restarted last week; they had been halted after a U.S. soldier's unauthorised crossing into North Korea while on a tour in July. Private Travis King was later handed back by the North and returned to the United States, where he faces charges.

Persons: Kim Jong Un, Kim Jong, Kim, KCNA, Travis King, Soo, hyang Choi, Richard Chang, Ed Davies, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Korean People's Army Air Force, Aviation, North, Korean Central News Agency, KCNA, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, United Nations, United, Local, Joint Security Area, Korean, Thomson Locations: North Korea, Rights SEOUL, Pyongyang, Seoul, United States, Korea, South Korea, U.S

For its part, North Korea appears to have treated his case as one of illegal immigration. North Korea's KCNA state news agency said King told Pyongyang he entered North Korea illegally because he was "disillusioned about unequal U.S. The Swedish government, which represents U.S. interests in North Korea because Washington has no diplomatic presence in the country, retrieved King in North Korea and brought him to China. The State Department said the U.S. ambassador to Beijing, Nicholas Burns, met King in Dandong, China, a city bordering North Korea. King, who joined the U.S. army in January 2021, faced two allegations of assault in South Korea.

Persons: Travis King, King, Fort Sam Houston, Brittney Griner, Travis T, Sarah Leslie, Handout, Nicholas Burns, Phil Stewart, Idrees Ali, Evan Garcia, Ed Davies, Neil Fullick, Toby Chopra Organizations: U.S . Army, Reuters, Base San, Fort, Brooke Army Medical Center, Russia, Security Area, REUTERS, Army, The State Department, Osan Air Force Base, U.S, South Korean, Thomson Locations: Texas, North Korea, U.S, Base San Antonio, Panmunjom, South Korea, Pyongyang, Swedish, Washington, China, Beijing, Dandong, Shenyang, United States, Korea

☆ Travis King: What happened to other US soldiers who defected to North Korea?
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Sarah Leslie/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSept 27 (Reuters) - Private Travis King, the U.S. soldier who ran into North Korea in July, is in U.S. custody after North Korea expelled him into China, U.S. officials said on Wednesday, following rare diplomatic cooperation between the U.S., North Korea and China. A U.S. military spokesman later said an investigation indicated that White crossed into North Korea of his own free will. In a video released by the North, White denounced the United States and praised North Korea and its then leader Kim Il-Sung. - Charles Robert Jenkins walked into North Korea when on patrol on the DMZ in 1965. - James Joseph Dresnok was a 21-year old U.S. army private stationed in South Korea in 1962 when he fled to the North.

Persons: Travis T, Sarah Leslie, Handout, Travis King, Joseph T, White, Kim Il, Charles Robert Jenkins, Jenkins, Hitomi Soga, Soga, James Joseph Dresnok, Dresnok, Jerry Wayne Parrish, Larry Allen Abshier, Kim Jong, Dresnok's, Josh Smith, David Brunnstrom, Phil Stewart, Chizu Organizations: Security Area, REUTERS, U.S, North, Korea Times, United Nations Command, Washington Post, Thomson Locations: Panmunjom, South Korea, U.S, North Korea, China, China . U.S, Pyongyang, United States, Vietnam, Japan, Korean

☆ North Korea to expel U.S. soldier Travis King over illegal border crossing
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( Hyonhee Shin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Sarah Leslie/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSEOUL, Sept 27 (Reuters) - North Korea has decided to expel American soldier Travis King who it said has admitted to illegal intrusion into the country and was "disillusioned about unequal U.S. society," state media KCNA said on Wednesday. The decision was contained in the final results of an investigation into King's July border crossing published by KCNA. Last month it reported interim findings that he wanted refuge in North Korea or elsewhere because of maltreatment and racial discrimination within the army. There have been several attempts by U.S. soldiers stationed in South Korea to desert or defect to North Korea, but King's expulsion came relatively quickly compared to others who have spent years before being released from the reclusive country. King, who joined the U.S. army in January 2021, faced two allegations of assault in South Korea.

Persons: Travis T, Sarah Leslie, Handout, Travis King, KCNA, King, Jonathan Franks, King's, Myron Gates, Hyonhee Shin, Susan Heavey, Brendan O'Brien, Toby Chopra, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: Security Area, REUTERS, Rights, ., Democratic People's, Authorities, U.S . State Department, U.S . Forces, United Nations Command, Joint Security Area, ABC News, U.S, South Korean, Thomson Locations: Panmunjom, South Korea, Rights SEOUL, North Korea, DPRK, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, U.S . Forces Korea, United States, U.S

☆ Who is Travis King, and what comes next for the US soldier in North Korea?
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Brad Lendon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Picture of Travis King, the US soldier who ran across the military demarcation line into North Korea on Tuesday July 18. From Travis King/FacebookThe day before he crossed into North Korea, King was supposed to board a flight to Texas, where he was to face disciplinary procedures. The last American known to be held by North Korea was Bruce Byron Lowrance, who, according to North Korean state media, crossed from China into North Korea in 2018. While in North Korea, he appeared in propaganda films, taught the country’s spies English and spent up to eight hours a day studying the writings of North Korean leaders. He was allowed to leave North Korea in 2004, two years after his Japanese wife, who was kidnapped from her home in Japan in 1978 and left North Korea under a deal between Pyongyang and Tokyo.

Persons: Travis King “, ”, King, Travis King, Bryce Dubee, Christine Wormuth, King “, ” Jaqueda, King’s, “, Claudine Gates, Jonathan Franks, Donald Trump, Kim Jong Un, Trump, Kim, KCNA, Washington “, Private King, Bruce Byron Lowrance, Lowrance, Otto Warmbier, Warmbier, Charles Jenkins, Jenkins Organizations: South Korea CNN, Joint Security Area, North, US, CNN, 6th Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat, Armored Division, Army, Incheon International, Aspen Security, South Korean, US Navy, Korean Central News Agency, U.S . Army, Washington, Private, Swedish Embassy, Central Intelligence Agency Locations: Seoul, South Korea, North Korea, Korean, Korea, Fort Bliss , Texas, Texas, Incheon, United States, ” Jaqueda Gates, Pyongyang, Washington, Busan, Japan, North, Maryland, Swedish, China, American, Tokyo

☆ Travis King: who is the US soldier who crossed into North Korea?
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Sarah Leslie/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSEOUL, Aug 16 (Reuters) - North Korea confirmed for the first time on Wednesday that it is holding American soldier Travis King, saying he crossed the border last month to escape racism and mistreatment in the U.S. military and society. WHY DID HE CROSS TO NORTH KOREA AND WHERE IS HE NOW? KCNA said he was held by the North Korean army after he crossed, but did not elaborate. Roughly 24 hours after leaving the airport, he sprinted into North Korea while touring the Joint Security Area, which sits astride the border. King spent time in a South Korean prison, however, in lieu of paying the fine.

Persons: Travis T, Sarah Leslie, Handout, Travis King, King, KCNA, King's, Myron Gates, Carl Gates, Josh Smith, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Security Area, REUTERS, Rights, U.S ., WHO, U.S . Army, Korean, Force, U.S . 1st Armored Division, 4th Infantry Division, National Defense Service, Korean Defense, Overseas Service, North Korean, Pentagon, ABC News, Daily, Airport, American Airlines staff, Reuters, Security, Court, Thomson Locations: Panmunjom, South Korea, Rights SEOUL, North Korea, U.S, Racine , Wisconsin, Korean, New Zealand, Seoul

North Korean investigators have also concluded that King crossed deliberately and illegally, with the intent to stay in the North or in a third country, state news agency KCNA said. It did not address whether it had heard more details from North Korea. As an active-duty soldier he might appear to qualify as a POW, given that the United States and North Korea technically remain at war. The 1950-53 Korean War ended in an armistice rather than a peace treaty. Factors including King's decision to cross into North Korea of his own free will, in civilian attire, appear to have disqualified him from POW status, U.S. officials have said.

Persons: Travis King, Pyongyang's, King, KCNA, Myron Gates, Soo, hyang Choi, Josh Smith, Idrees Ali, Grant McCool, Stephen Coates Organizations: U.S . Army, Joint Security Area, Korean People's Army, ABC, Pentagon, United Nations Command, UNC, U.S ., Korean, Force, U.S, South Korean, Thomson Locations: SEOUL, North Korea, U.S, South Korea, ., DPRK, United States, Washington

As an active-duty soldier he might appear to qualify as a POW, given that the United States and North Korea technically remain at war. A Pentagon spokesperson declined to comment on King's POW status, but said the defense department's priority was to bring him home and it was working to achieve that through all available channels. Washington has conveyed that message in private communications to Pyongyang, the U.S. officials said, adding that those communications have not invoked POW status. PROTECTIONS FOR CAPTIVESPrisoners of war are protected by the Third Geneva Convention, to which North Korea and the U.S. are signatories. After serving time in detention in South Korea, King had been due to face military disciplinary action on his return to Fort Bliss, Texas.

Persons: Travis T, Sarah Leslie, Handout, Travis King, King, Rachel VanLandingham, Geoffrey Corn, we'd, Corn, Fort, Christopher Stone, Andrew Ramirez, Steven Gonzales, Robert Goodman, Phil Stewart, Idrees Ali, Josh Smith, Simon Lewis, Don Durfee, Daniel Wallis Organizations: Security Area, REUTERS, United, Reuters, Geneva Convention, U.S, Pentagon, POW, Department, Third Geneva Convention, North, Southwestern Law School, Texas Tech University School of Law, U.S . Army, Cavalry, Korean, Force, NATO, Thomson Locations: Panmunjom, South Korea, REUTERS WASHINGTON, United States, Geneva, North, North Korea, Washington, Pyongyang, U.S, Fort Bliss , Texas, Yugoslavia, Lebanon, Syria

However, Pentagon spokesperson Brigadier General Patrick Ryder said that North Korea only acknowledged the U.N. Command's request for information about U.S. Army Private Travis King and stopped short of offering detailed information about him. When pressed, Ryder said that North Korea's message back to the U.N. Command was just "an acknowledgement" of the U.N. Command's inquiry. King sprinted into North Korea on July 18 while on a tour of the Demilitarized Zone on the border, landing the United States in a new diplomatic quandary with nuclear-armed North Korea. After his release from the prison, which is designated for U.S. military members and other foreigners, King stayed at a U.S. base in South Korea for a week, Yonhap said. U.S. officials have expressed deep concern over King's fate in North Korea.

Persons: Travis T, Sarah Leslie, Handout, Patrick Ryder, Travis King, Ryder, King, Yonhap, Otto Warmbier, Idrees Ali, Phil Stewart, Grant McCool Organizations: Security Area, REUTERS, United Nations Command, Pentagon, U.S, Army, DPRK, Democratic People's, Command, U.S . Army, Cavalry, Korean, Force, Fort Bliss , Texas ., Thomson Locations: Panmunjom, South Korea, REUTERS WASHINGTON, North Korea, Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, United States, Cheonan, U.S, Fort Bliss , Texas, Fort Bliss , Texas . U.S

SEOUL, July 25 (Reuters) - Tourists should expect far stricter supervision if visits to the border between North and South Korea resume, analysts said, after U.S. soldier Travis King used an organised tour to get close enough to dash across to North Korea last week. The U.S.-led United Nations Command (UNC), which oversees the area, has indefinitely suspended all JSA tours after King's unauthorised crossing. Not all DMZ tours stop at the JSA, which is the only spot where visitors can step up to and even briefly over the border into the North. Visiting JSA is free of charge for South Korean nationals, but the tour King was on started at $180, according to a Tripadvisor listing. King's case would be the first successful border crossing by a JSA tourist ever, Zwetsloot said.

Persons: Travis King, King, Andrew Harrison, I've, Jacco Zwetsloot, Zwetsloot, we'll, Lim Eul, Banning, Lim, Harrison, Soo, hyang Choi, Josh Smith, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: U.S . Army, Joint Security Area, United Nations Command, UNC, JSA, NK, South, North, Kyungnam University, Thomson Locations: SEOUL, North, South Korea, Korea, Panmunjom, Washington, The U.S, Seoul

☆ UN Command talking to North Korea about U.S. soldier Travis King
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The United Nations Command and North Korea have begun discussing the case of Travis King, the U.S. soldier who crossed into the North last week, the deputy commander of the U.S.-led command that oversees the Korean War truce said on Monday. King, a U.S. Army private serving in South Korea, sprinted into North Korea on July 18 while on a tour of the Demilitarized Zone on the inter-Korean border, landing Washington in a fresh diplomatic quandary with the nuclear-armed North. Last week, North Korea conducted ballistic missile tests hours after a U.S. nuclear-armed ballistic missile submarine arrived at a South Korean port. North Korea is banned under U.N. Security Council resolutions from using ballistic missile technology, which Pyongyang defiantly rejects. Late last week, North Korea warned that deployment of U.S. aircraft carriers, bombers or missile submarines in South Korea could meet the criteria for its use of nuclear weapons.

Persons: Travis King, General Andrew Harrison, Harrison, King Organizations: Army, Reuters, The United Nations Command, U.S . Army, UNC, North, British Army, Korean People's Army, ., Joint Security Area, People, U.S Locations: North Korea, U.S, South Korea, Washington, Korean, Pyongyang, Fort Bliss , Texas

Seoul, South Korea CNN —A “conversation has commenced” with North Korea over US Army Pvt. Travis King, who crossed the border between North and South Korea last week in the demilitarized zone separating the two nations, the deputy commander of the United Nations Command (UNC) said Monday. It controls the South Korean side of the JSA, the one place where the North and South can meet for talks. King has not been publicly seen or heard from since he crossed into North Korea last Tuesday. North Korea has also not said anything about the status or condition of the missing soldier.

Persons: Travis King, King, Andrew Harrison, “, ”, ” Harrison, – Organizations: South Korea CNN, US Army, United Nations Command, UNC, Joint Security, Korean People’s Army, Seoul Foreign Correspondents, UN Command, CNN, American Airlines, Incheon International Airport, Incheon, Security Locations: Seoul, South Korea, North Korea, North, Korean, United States, Korea, Bliss, Texas

☆ UN Command talking to North Korea about US soldier Travis King
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( Hyunsu Yim | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SEOUL, July 24 (Reuters) - The United Nations Command and North Korea have begun discussing the case of Travis King, the U.S. soldier who crossed into the North last week, the deputy commander of the U.S.-led command that oversees the Korean War truce said on Monday. King, a U.S. Army private serving in South Korea, sprinted into North Korea on July 18 while on a tour of the Demilitarized Zone on the inter-Korean border, landing Washington in a fresh diplomatic quandary with the nuclear-armed North. Last week, North Korea conducted ballistic missile tests hours after a U.S. nuclear-armed ballistic missile submarine arrived at a South Korean port. North Korea is banned under U.N. Security Council resolutions from using ballistic missile technology, which Pyongyang defiantly rejects. Late last week, North Korea warned that deployment of U.S. aircraft carriers, bombers or missile submarines in South Korea could meet criteria for its use of nuclear weapons.

Persons: Travis King, General Andrew Harrison, Harrison, King, Hyunsu Yim, Jack Kim, Ed Davies, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: United Nations Command, U.S . Army, UNC, North, British Army, Korean People's Army, ., Joint Security Area, People, U.S, Thomson Locations: SEOUL, North Korea, U.S, South Korea, Washington, Korean, Pyongyang, Fort Bliss , Texas

☆ Travis King disappeared into a North Korea more isolated than ever
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Josh Smith | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

SEOUL, July 21 (Reuters) - When U.S. soldier Travis King sprinted across the border into North Korea from the South this week, he disappeared into a North Korea where lingering COVID-19 concerns and restrictions have made the already secretive country more isolated than ever. Officials in Washington said North Korea had yet to give any response through a number of channels, including at the United Nations. North Korean border guards fatally shot and burned the body of a South Korean fisheries official near their disputed maritime border in 2020. North Korean guards at the site still shelter inside buildings, apparently to avoid the risk of catching COVID. But North Korea often seeks meetings with high-level American officials before any releases, and that could be complicated by their worries over COVID, he added.

Persons: Travis King, King, Andrei Lankov, Lankov, Isaac Taylor, Kim Jong Un, Steve Tharp, COVID, Tharp, Bobby Hall, Josh Smith, Lincoln Organizations: Korea Risk, U.S, United Nations Command, United Nations, Security, U.S . Army, North, Thomson Locations: SEOUL, North Korea, Korea, Pyongyang, Seoul, U.S, United States, Washington, North Korean, Korean, South . Sweden, North

North Korea's state media, which in the past reported on the detention of U.S. nationals, have also not commented on the incident so far. "I don't think anyone who was sane would want to go to North Korea, so I assumed it was some kind of stunt." State Department spokesman Miller said Sweden has been engaged as it acts as a diplomatic channel for Washington which remains technically at war with North Korea. North Korea has previously detained Americans who entered the country and put them on trial but eventually released them, often following high-level diplomatic intervention. A former North Korean diplomat who defected to South Korea said King may be used as a propaganda tool, but it was not clear how long North Korea would want to exploit his presence.

Persons: Kim Hong, Ji, Travis T, Matthew Miller, King, Sarah Leslie, Miller, Karine Jean, Pierre, Biden, Otto Warmbier, hyang Choi, Phil Smith, Steve Holland, Jack Kim, Ed Davies, Lincoln Organizations: REUTERS, State Department, Pentagon, Korean People's Army, North, Joint Security Area, New Zealand, Reuters, . State, U.S, United Nations Command, Thomson Locations: Panmunjom, South Korea, U.S, Sweden, North Korea, SEOUL, WASHINGTON, Washington, Pyongyang, North, United States, New, Korea, Korean, Seoul

[1/3] Foreign tourists participating in DMZ tour walk past a military fence near the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas, in Paju, South Korea July 19, 2023. REUTERS/Kim Hong-JiPAJU, South Korea, July 19 (Reuters) - Only hours after U.S. Most infamously, axe-wielding North Korean soldiers in the DMZ in 1976 murdered two U.S. soldiers who were cutting down a tree to secure a clear view. In 2017, a North Korean soldier was riddled with bullets by his comrades, but ultimately survived as he made a dash into the South. He must have done it not knowing exactly what North Korea is like," Lee told Reuters at the observation point.

Persons: Kim Hong, Ji PAJU, Travis T, King, Felicia, Lee Sang, Lee, Soo, hyang Choi, Gyun Kim, Hongji Kim, Ed Davies, Sharon Singleton Organizations: REUTERS, Joint Security Area, South Korean, United Nations Command, UNC, ITC, North, American, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Paju, South Korea, North Korea, Korea, U.S, North Korean, Seoul, Minwoo

North Korea's state media has made no mention of the incident. North Korea has been testing increasingly powerful missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads, including a new solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile last week. Forces Korea, said the military was "working with our KPA counterparts to resolve this incident," referring to North Korea's People's Army. NORTH KOREA FIRES MISSILESThe soldier was on a tour of the Panmunjom truce village with other visitors when he crossed a Military Demarcation Line, U.S. officials say. The launch came hours after the South Korea and the United States held the first round of talks on Tuesday on upgrading coordination in the event of a nuclear war with North Korea.

Persons: Travis T, King, Lloyd Austin, Austin, Isaac Taylor, Taylor, Kim Hong, Panmunjom, Tae Yong, Josh Smith, Hyonhee Shin, hyang Choi, David Brunnstrom, Phil Stewart, Idrees Ali, Kiyoshi Takenaka, Nobuhiro Kubo, Jack Kim, Lincoln Organizations: U.S, The U.S . Army, Security Area, U.S . Defence, United Nations, U.S . Forces, Korea's People's Army, Command, UNC, North Koreans, KOREA, REUTERS, Ji, U.S ., Korea's Unification Ministry, South, United, Thomson Locations: North North Korea, Pyongyang, U.S, South Korea, WASHINGTON, American, North Korea, Washington, The, New York, U.S . Forces Korea, Paju, Ji U.S, United States, Korean, Korea's, Seoul, Tokyo

☆ Chaos as U.S. soldier Travis King bolted into North Korea -witness
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Ju-Min Park | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SEOUL, July 19 (Reuters) - American and South Korean guards shouted "get him" as they scrambled unsuccessfully to stop U.S. Army soldier Travis King from sprinting into North Korea, a New Zealand woman who was on the same tour to the border area said on Wednesday. "I don't think anyone who was sane would want to go to North Korea, so I assumed it was some kind of stunt." The U.S. military was scrambling on Wednesday to determine King's fate after what officials said was a wilful, unauthorised crossing of the border into North Korea, throwing Washington into a new crisis in its dealings with the state. One American soldier shouted "get him," and other American and South Korean guards ran after King, but he was already on the north side of the border, Leslie said. "It was too late," she said, adding that he disappeared from sight and she didn't see him enter any buildings or be detained by North Korean guards.

Persons: Travis King, Sarah Leslie, King, Leslie, Travis T, Handout, REUTERS King, Hyunsu Yim, Josh Smith, Bernadette Baum Organizations: U.S, Army, Joint Security Area, Reuters, Security Area, REUTERS, North, Thomson Locations: SEOUL, North Korea, New Zealand, Washington, U.S, Panmunjom, South Korea, American

She was among some 40 other tourists who were walking around and taking photos in the moments before King made a dash to North Korea. "I don't think anyone who was sane would want to go to North Korea, so I assumed it was some kind of stunt," she told Reuters. North Korea is likely to milk the border crossing by a U.S. soldier for propaganda purposes but will probably not be able to gain political leverage, analysts and a former North Korean diplomat said. The notable exception was U.S. college student Otto Warmbier, who died in 2017 shortly after being released from a North Korea prison. Still, analysts suggested that King's stay in North Korea could be lengthy.

Persons: Travis T, King, Carl Gates, Gates, Travis, Sarah Leslie, Leslie, Tae Yong, Andrei Lankov, Otto Warmbier, Lankov, It's, Victor Cha, Josh Smith, Matt Spetalnick, Don Durfee, Sandra Maler Organizations: U.S . Army, The Korea Times, U.S, Cavalry, Korean, Force, National Defense Service, Korean Defense, Overseas Service, Daily, Joint Security Area, Reuters, South, Korea Risk Group, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Thomson Locations: SEOUL, WASHINGTON, South Korea, Washington, North, Seoul, Fort Bliss , Texas, North Korea, Racine , Wisconsin, New Zealander, U.S, North Korean, Korea, Korean, Korea's, Pyongyang

☆ For North Korea, US defectors can be a propaganda win, but a logistical pain
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Josh Smith | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Analysts said discussions over the soldier's fate could see some of the first diplomatic engagement between North Korea and the United States in years. "I do not think North Korea views the latest incident as strong leverage or an opportunity to engage the U.S.," she said. "North Korea knows that the U.S. government is unlikely to change its North Korea policy or its commitment to U.S. extended deterrence because of one U.S. soldier who reportedly faced disciplinary action and wilfully crossed into North Korea." "Their conditions are better not only than the average North Korean prisoner, but of the average North Korean citizen." North Korean border guards fatally shot and burned the body of a South Korean fisheries official in 2020, and later leader Kim Jong Un ordered an entire city into lockdown when a North Korean crossed back into the country from the South.

Persons: Travis King, King, Andrei Lankov, Rachel Minyoung Lee, Tae Yong, Tae, Lankov, Otto Warmbier, Kim Jong Un, Josh Smith, David Brunnstrom, Hyonhee, Angus MacSwan Organizations: U.S, Army, Security Area, North, Korea Risk, Stimson, Korean, Thomson Locations: SEOUL, North Korea, U.S, North Korean, Pyongyang, ., United States, Seoul, Korea, Korea's, American, Korean, Washington

☆ Private Travis T. King: what do we know about the U.S. soldier who crossed to North Korea?
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/4] A North Korean soldier stands guard at their guard post in this picture taken near the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas, in Paju, South Korea July 19, 2023. Private Travis T. King, who joined the U.S. Army in January 2021, is a Cavalry Scout with the Korean Rotational Force, which is part of the U.S. security commitment to South Korea. WHY DID HE CROSS TO NORTH KOREA AND WHERE IS HE NOW? His mother, Claudine Gates, told ABC News she was shocked at the news her son had crossed into North Korea. U.S. officials say King is likely to be in North Korean custody.

Persons: Kim Hong, Ji, Travis T, TRAVIS, King, expletives, Sarah Leslie, Handout, Claudine Gates, Travis, 1,265.8500, Crystal Chesters, Edmund Blair Organizations: REUTERS, WHO, U.S . Army, Korean, Force, U.S . 1st Armored Division, 4th Infantry Division, National Defense Service, Korean Defense, Overseas Service, Court, Security Area, U.S, The Korea Times, ABC News, United Nations, Thomson Locations: Korean, Paju, South Korea, United States, U.S, North Korea, Washington, Pyongyang, Seoul, Panmunjom, New Zealand, North, New York

But while he cleared customs, he did not get on the plane as scheduled on Monday, US officials told CNN. Picture of Travis King, the US soldier who ran across the military demarcation line into North Korea on Tuesday July 18th. She said the administration was working with the government of South Korea, along with Sweden, on the matter. Sweden generally represents US interests in North Korea because the US and North Korea have no diplomatic ties. King’s mother, Claudine Gates, told ABC on Tuesday that she was “shocked” by the fact that King had crossed into North Korea.

Persons: Travis King, Fort, King, “, Sarah Leslie, ” Leslie, Travis T, Karine Jean, Pierre said, ”, King “, we’ve, Adm, John Aquilino, we’re, I’ve, Claudine Gates, Travis, ” Gates, Bryce Dubee Organizations: CNN, Airport, US Forces Korea, Joint Security, Facebook, Panmungak, Joint Security Area, North, Fort Bliss, Security Area, Reuters, Pacific Command, Aspen Security, Court, South, ABC, 6th Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat, Armored Division, National Defense Service, Korean Defense, Overseas Service Locations: North Korea, Seoul, South Korea, Fort Bliss , Texas, North, North Korean, Fort, Panmunjom, Sweden, Mapo, Fort Bliss

☆ A US tourist crossed the border into North Korea, UN says. South Korean media reports he's a US soldier.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A US national crossed the border from South Korea into North Korea on Tuesday, the UN said. South Korean media is reporting that he was a US soldier. South Korean media has described it as a defection, though it is currently unclear if this is the case. Cases of Americans or South Koreans defecting to North Korea are extremely rare, while North Koreans crossing into South Korea are more common. More than 30,000 North Koreans have fled south since the 1950-1953 Korean War, according to the Associated Press.

Persons: Travis King Organizations: UN, Service, United Nations, The United Nations Command, Security Area, — United Nations Command, The Korea Herald, Ilbo, US Army, South, US Department of State, Associated Press Locations: South Korea, North Korea, US, North, Wall, Silicon, Seoul, South Korea's

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