WASHINGTON: A US soldier who was facing disciplinary action crossed the inter-Korean border into North Korea on Tuesday without authorization, prompting concerns and creating a new crisis for the United States in its dealings with the nuclear-armed state, according to US officials.
The soldier, believed to be in North Korean custody, entered North Korea without authorization while on a tour, as confirmed by the United Nations Command responsible for the demilitarized zone area at the border.
Although the identity of the soldier has not been officially confirmed, South Korea’s Dong-a Ilbo daily, citing the South Korean army, initially identified the person as Travis King, a US Army soldier with the rank of private second class. However, the newspaper later deleted the name. Reuters could not independently verify the identity, but anonymous US officials revealed that the soldier was due to face disciplinary action by the US military.
Disciplinary Action Against US Soldier Who Crossed into North Korea
CBS News reported that the soldier was being escorted back to the United States for disciplinary reasons when the incident occurred. Somehow, the soldier managed to return and joined the border tour after going through airport security. An eyewitness from the same tour group described the event, stating that the soldier suddenly ran between some buildings after letting out a loud laugh. Military personnel reacted quickly, but there was initial confusion. The witness stated that there were no visible North Korean soldiers in the vicinity, and the group had been informed that they had not been present since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic when North Korea closed its borders.
The incident comes at a delicate time, with tensions already high on the Korean peninsula. It coincides with the arrival of a US nuclear-armed ballistic missile submarine in South Korea as a warning to North Korea regarding its own military activities. North Korea has been conducting tests of increasingly powerful missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads, including a new solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile launched last week.
The White House, the US State Department, the Pentagon, and North Korea’s mission to the United Nations in New York have not yet provided comments on the situation. Colonel Isaac Taylor, spokesperson for the US military in South Korea and the UN Command, stated that they are still conducting research into the incident.
The incident occurred during a tour of the Joint Security Area on the demilitarized zone border, which has separated the two Koreas since the Korean War. The soldier was part of a group of visitors, including civilians, at the Panmunjom truce village when he unexpectedly crossed the border line, according to South Korean army sources.
The US State Department advises US nationals not to enter North Korea due to the serious risk of arrest and long-term detention. This ban was implemented after US college student Otto Warmbier was detained in North Korea in 2015. Warmbier died in 2017, shortly after being released and returning to the United States in a coma.
