AFPThe demilitarized zone between North and South Korea
NOS Nieuws•morgen, 00:44
“We’re assuming he’s being held,” Austin says. “We are closely monitoring the situation and we are investigating the matter.”
According to the minister, efforts are being made to inform the immediate family members of the soldier. Defense has released the name of the man. It concerns the soldier Travis T. King, who enlisted in 2021.
Much is still unclear, Austin says to the press. White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre says the Pentagon, State Department and United Nations are working “to obtain more information and resolve this situation.” According to her, the focus is on finding out about the well-being of the soldier.
The soldier was a civilian on a tour of tourists to the demilitarized zone near the village of Panmunjeom and then crossed the border.
Disciplinary action
King had served a prison sentence in South Korea for an unspecified offense. He was transported to the airport by the US military to return to his home unit in the United States, two anonymous officials told Reuters news agency.
He would face disciplinary action in the US, but he was not in custody at the time he fled, the two say.
The soldier had already gone through security at the airport when he changed his mind about fleeing for unclear reasons. It seems that there he joined a group of tourists on an excursion to the demilitarized zone.
In Panmunjeom, a ceasefire was agreed between North and South Korea in 1953, but a peace treaty was never signed. The village, where people no longer live, is a popular attraction for tourists.
Nuclear tensions
The crossing comes at a time of high tensions between North and South Korea and the United States. Among other things, because of the arrival of a US submarine in South Korea with ballistic nuclear missiles on board, intended as a warning to North Korea, which has recently been conducting frequent tests with ballistic missiles.
The US strongly discourages Americans from traveling to North Korea because of the risk of arrest and long prison terms. According to the State Department, the government cannot provide assistance to Americans trapped there because North Korea and the US have no diplomatic ties.
2023-07-18 22:44:51
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