Escaping into North Korea
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A U.S. service member crossed into North Korea and was believed to be in the custody of the country's forces, U.S. and international officials said Tuesday. The United Nations Command, which operates the Joint Security Area (JSA) within the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea, first confirmed that an unidentified U.S. national had crossed the border.
U.S. officials told CBS News the soldier in question was Private 2nd Class Travis King, who was being escorted back to the United States from South Korea for disciplinary reasons. After going through airport security to leave, they somehow returned and managed to join a border tour group before "willfully" crossing into North Korea, the officials said.
"A U.S. National on a JSA orientation tour crossed, without authorization, the Military Demarcation Line into the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)," U.N. Command said in its earlier statement, using the formal name for North Korea. "We believe he is currently in DPRK custody and are working with our KPA [North Korean army] counterparts to resolve this incident."
Local media said the man, who was visiting the Military Demarcation Line at Panmunjom with a civilian tour group, crossed the border at 3:27 p.m. local time (2:27 a.m. Eastern).
I'm sure that whatever discipline he was facing from the US was much harsher than what he'll experience in North Korea, right?
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A U.S. service member crossed into North Korea and was believed to be in the custody of the country's forces, U.S. and international officials said Tuesday. The United Nations Command, which operates the Joint Security Area (JSA) within the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea, first confirmed that an unidentified U.S. national had crossed the border.
U.S. officials told CBS News the soldier in question was Private 2nd Class Travis King, who was being escorted back to the United States from South Korea for disciplinary reasons. After going through airport security to leave, they somehow returned and managed to join a border tour group before "willfully" crossing into North Korea, the officials said.
"A U.S. National on a JSA orientation tour crossed, without authorization, the Military Demarcation Line into the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)," U.N. Command said in its earlier statement, using the formal name for North Korea. "We believe he is currently in DPRK custody and are working with our KPA [North Korean army] counterparts to resolve this incident."
Local media said the man, who was visiting the Military Demarcation Line at Panmunjom with a civilian tour group, crossed the border at 3:27 p.m. local time (2:27 a.m. Eastern).
I'm sure that whatever discipline he was facing from the US was much harsher than what he'll experience in North Korea, right?
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It is weird that he was able to escape from the airport after going through security.
If he had been in South Korea for a while, he was probably familiar with tours, etc. to the DMZ, and I "suppose" he could have found a tour bus that was going there. But, like @mik said, there is a lot that does not make sense.
However, once at the "Peace Village" not super difficult to cross to the DPRK side.
The below pic is from the DPRK side. From the south Korea side, just step over that raised concrete "barrier" right in the middle of the blue buildings and you are in DPRK.
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I found out this morning that his escorts were not permitted past airport security checkpoints, so he was on his own and just walked out.
To hell with him. Let him rot in the north. He chose it.
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I found out this morning that his escorts were not permitted past airport security checkpoints, so he was on his own and just walked out.
To hell with him. Let him rot in the north. He chose it.
@Mik said in Escaping into North Korea:
Let him rot in the north.
I don't think he's going to have an option.
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I just don't think we should make any concessions to that little tinpot dictator or his evil sister to get him back. What do we want him for?
@Mik said in Escaping into North Korea:
I just don't think we should make any concessions to that little tinpot dictator or his evil sister to get him back. What do we want him for?
Oh I fully agree. Screw it, the mess is entirely of his own making.
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There was an interesting documentary made about one of the US soldiers that previously had defected to DPRK.
(I listened to a talk from the guy (Nick Bonner)who made the movie. Quite interesting.
"In 1962, a U.S. soldier sent to guard the peace in South Korea deserted his unit, walked across the most heavily fortified area on earth and defected to the Cold War enemy, the communist state of North Korea. He then simply disappeared from the face of the known world.
Dresnok became a coveted star of the North Korean propaganda machine and found fame acting in films, typecast as an evil American. He uses Korean as his daily language. He has three sons from two wives and has now lived in North Korea twice as long as he has in America. At one time, there were four Americans living in North Korea. Today, just one remains. Now, after 45 years, the story of Comrade Joe, the last American defector in North Korea, is told."
https://koryostudio.com/films/crossing-the-line/
Trailer here
https://vimeo.com/ondemand/crossingtheline2 -
Reminiscent of Bo Bergdahl. The second season of Serial made the mistake of thinking anybody cared about his story.
@Horace said in Escaping into North Korea:
Reminiscent of Bo Bergdahl. The second season of Serial made the mistake of thinking anybody cared about his story.
I do feel bad for him. He was at exactly the right age and had the right kind of adolescent experiences to be completely delusional about who he was and what he was doing. But also, I'd say he more than paid for it. I don't see the point in flagellating him further.
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https://apnews.com/article/north-korea-us-soldier-border-7b0b2f3b87f4cb9352c1cc458ab576b6
"North Korea on Wednesday offered its first official confirmation that it had detained a U.S. soldier who bolted into its country last month, releasing a statement through its state media attributing statements to the Army private that criticized the United States. One expert called the announcement “100% North Korean propaganda.” "
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The U.S. soldier who sprinted into North Korea across the heavily fortified border between the Koreas two months ago was released into American custody Wednesday, according to two officials.
Earlier, North Korea said it would expel Pvt. Travis King — an announcement that surprised some observers who had expected the North to drag out his detention in the hopes of squeezing concessions from Washington at a time of high tensions between the rivals.
https://apnews.com/article/north-korea-us-soldier-travis-king-00c171778e378d95fe1115fe31612ec2
