No word from Pyongyang on US soldier who made a mad dash into the nuclear-armed state

US Army Private Travis T King was being escorted to the airport in Incheon, near Seoul, to fly back home and potentially face disciplinary action. But he never reached his plane.

Instead, he fled, telling airline workers he couldn’t board the flight as his passport was missing, the Korea Times quoted an airport official as saying.

From there, King somehow joined a civilian tour of the demilitarised zone (DMZ) dividing South Korea and the North, where he on Tuesday made a mad dash into the nuclear-armed state.

American and South Korean guards ran after him but to no avail. He was already on the north side of the border.

King’s Time In South Korea Was Marked By Legal Troubles

The incident has created a set of fresh problems for Washington in its negotiations and discussions with Pyongyang.

Much remains unknown. The 23-year-old, who joined the US Army in 2021, had been a part of a Cavalry Scout with the Korean Rotational Force.

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But his time in South Korea was marked by legal troubles. He pleaded guilty to assault and damaging public property in relation to an October incident, a South Korean court ruling said.

While anonymous US officials said King was supposed to face disciplinary action by the military on his return home, it was not clear if the October incident was part of the procedure.

King Had Been In Distress Over Cousin’s Death

His exact whereabouts are still unknown, and so are the reasons behind the mad dash across the border. What happens next also remains a mystery.

Analysts believe Pyongyang is likely to milk the border crossing for propaganda purposes but will potentially not gain political leverage.

Holding someone like King can also be a headache for the country, which needs to follow a standard playbook for treating Western detainees in order to avoid political blowback.

Still, analysts fear the US soldier’s stay in the North could be lengthy. His uncle suggested he had been in distress over the death of his cousin earlier this year.