Sep 27, 2023 at 1:21 p.m
North Korea is expelling American soldier Travis King from the country, the North Korean state news agency reports KCNA. King deliberately crossed the border into North Korea without permission in July during a tourist tour in South Korea.
The state news agency does not report how, when and where King will be deported. The man in his twenties allegedly admitted to entering North Korea illegally.
He is said to have expressed his dissatisfaction about inhumane treatment and racism within the American army. For that reason he wanted to go to North Korea or another country, North Korea said earlier.
King joined the U.S. military in January 2021 and was subsequently charged twice with assault in South Korea. He admitted guilt in one of those cases. He also admitted to damaging a police car, according to court documents. King had been punished in South Korea and had to return to the United States for further disciplinary action.
The soldier was escorted to the airport in July, but returned to South Korea after security checks. He then took part in a tour in Panmunjom only to run into North Korea during that tour.
Panmunjom is a village on the armistice line that separates the two Koreas. This line shows where the front was when the Korean War ended with an armistice in 1953. Pyongyang and Seoul are still officially at war.
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Image: AFP
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2023-09-27 11:21:00
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