American military Travis King, who served in South Korea and illegally fled to the DPRK, explained his act with “antipathy to humiliation and racial discrimination” in the US army. This was reported by the Central News Agency of Korea (KCNA).
“During the investigation, Travis King admitted that he had an antipathy for inhuman humiliation, racial discrimination in the US troops and decided to go to the DPRK. He said he was disillusioned with the unjust American society and expressed his will to emigrate to our country or a third country.” says in a statement from a North Korean government agency.
The KCNA report was the first public confirmation of the incident by North Korea.
US Defense Department spokesman Martin Meiners said the US authorities could not assess the veracity of Pyongyang’s statement. “The Department’s priority is to bring Private King home, and we are working through all available channels to achieve this.” quotes his statement to NBC News.
23-year-old US Army private Travis King, who served in South Korea, escaped to North Korea on July 18. The soldier traveled between North and South Korea with a tour group, and then illegally crossed the demarcation line and was detained by the Korean People’s Army. Shortly before his escape, King was to be removed from service and returned to the United States “for disciplinary reasons.” It was reported that he was in custody on charges of assault. On July 10, he was taken to the airport for a flight to the US, but he somehow managed to escape.
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2023-08-16 15:23:00
