Current:Home > InvestNorth Korea says US soldier bolted into North after being disillusioned at American society-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
North Korea says US soldier bolted into North after being disillusioned at American society
View Date:2024-12-23 23:09:19
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea asserted Wednesday that a U.S. soldier who bolted into the North across the heavily armed Korean border last month did so after being disillusioned at the inequality of American society.
It’s North Korea’s first official confirmation of the detention of Private 2nd Class Travis King, who entered the North while on a tour of a Korean border village on July 18. He became the first American detained in the North in nearly five years.
The North Korean official news agency, KCNA, said King told investigators that he had decided to enter North Korea because he “harbored ill feeling against inhuman mistreatment and racial discrimination within the U.S. Army.”
It said King also expressed his willingness to seek refuge in North Korea or a third country, saying he “was disillusioned at the unequal American society.”
KCNA is a propaganda arm of North Korea’s dictatorship and often releases statements and articles carefully calibrated to reflect the government’s official line that the United States is an evil adversary.
North Korea said an investigation into King would continue.
Analysts earlier said North Korea might try to use King’s case to wrest concessions from Washington, such as tying his release to the U.S. cutting back its military activities with South Korea.
King’s border crossing came amid heightened animosities on the Korean Peninsula. North Korea has conducted more than 100 weapons tests since the beginning of last year, prompting the U.S. to expand its military drills with South Korea. North Korea views U.S.-South Korean military training as an invasion rehearsal.
King was supposed to be heading to Fort Bliss, Texas, following his release from prison in South Korea on an assault conviction.
According to U.S. officials, King — who chose to serve his time at a labor camp rather than pay the nearly $4,000 fine — has been declared AWOL. The punishment for being away without leave can include confinement in the brig, forfeiture of pay or dishonorable discharge and it is largely based on how long they were away and whether they were apprehended or returned on their own.
The U.S. and North Korea, which fought during the 1950-53 Korean War, are still technically at war since that conflict ended in a truce, not a peace treaty, and have no diplomatic ties. Sweden provided consular services for Americans in past cases, but Swedish diplomatic staff reportedly haven’t returned since North Korea ordered foreigners to leave the country at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
North Korea has previously held a number of Americans who were arrested for anti-state, espionage and other charges. But no other Americans were known to be detained since North Korea expelled American Bruce Byron Lowrance in 2018. During the Cold War, a small number of U.S. soldiers who fled to North Korea later appeared in North Korean propaganda films.
U.S. officials have expressed concern about his well-being and said previously that North Korea ignored requests for information about him.
veryGood! (163)
Related
- Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan says next year will be his last in office; mum on his plans afterward
- Defense bill's passage threatened by abortion amendment, limits on Ukraine funding
- Paravel Travel Must-Haves Are What Everyone’s Buying for Summer Getaways
- Kylie Jenner Is Not OK After This Cute Exchange With Son Aire
- The Army’s answer to a lack of recruits is a prep course to boost low scores. It’s working
- A Plunge in Mass Transit Ridership Deals a Huge Blow to Climate Change Mitigation
- Fire kills nearly all of the animals at Florida wildlife center: They didn't deserve this
- Chris Eubanks, unlikely Wimbledon star, on surreal, whirlwind tournament experience
- Harriet Tubman posthumously honored as general in Veterans Day ceremony: 'Long overdue'
- Ex-Twitter officials reject GOP claims of government collusion
Ranking
- Groups seek a new hearing on a Mississippi mail-in ballot lawsuit
- A century of fire suppression is worsening wildfires and hurting forests
- Disney's Bob Iger is swinging the ax as he plans to lay off 7,000 workers worldwide
- Reckoning With The NFL's Rooney Rule
- Why Suits' Gabriel Macht Needed Time Away From Harvey Specter After Finale
- The new global gold rush
- Amazon Prime Day 2023: Everything You Need to Know to Get the Best Deals
- Zoom is the latest tech firm to announce layoffs, and its CEO will take a 98% pay cut
Recommendation
-
November 2024 full moon this week is a super moon and the beaver moon
-
Hundreds of ready-to-eat foods are recalled over possible listeria contamination
-
Gas stove makers have a pollution solution. They're just not using it
-
Watch a Florida man wrestle a record-breaking 19-foot-long Burmese python: Giant is an understatement
-
Police capture Tennessee murder suspect accused of faking his own death on scenic highway
-
Need a new credit card? It can take almost two months to get a replacement
-
Restaurants charging extra for water, bread and workers' health plan
-
A silent hazard is sinking buildings in Chicago and other major cities – and it will only get worse