The crossing of the border into North Korea by a young US soldier made headlines in July. For a long time it was unclear how the isolated country wanted to deal with him. Now he is returning to the USA.
Two months after crossing the border illegally from South to North Korea, a US soldier was able to leave the strictly isolated country again.
Travis K. is on his way back to the USA after short stops in China and South Korea, the US State Department said. The 23-year-old was in good health and was looking forward to seeing his family again, US officials had previously said.
According to American security sources, there were no agreements with or concessions to North Korea. The US State Department thanked Sweden for diplomatic assistance and China for transit assistance in the release of the stormed soldier. There were no details on Wednesday about how he was treated after his arrest in North Korea.
The communist leadership in Pyongyang had previously announced that the authorities had decided to expel Travis K. The investigation into his case has been completed. The US soldier confessed “that he illegally entered the territory of the People’s Republic.”
According to American forces in South Korea, the soldier took part in a commercial tour along the South Korean part of the demilitarized zone between the two countries in July and then deliberately crossed the border. Since his disappearance, the Travis K. case has been a mystery. To this day, nothing is known about his motives, and no new information has been given about the man’s motives.
Different information from North Korea and the USA
North Korea first commented on the soldier’s whereabouts last month. As was the case then, it was now said that Travis K. had complained during the interrogations about “the inhumane treatment and racial discrimination in the US Army” and had therefore decided to cross the border. He was disillusioned because of “the unequal American society.”
North Korea’s account of the man’s alleged motives could not be independently verified. The leadership of the communist state is itself criticized for draconianly restricting freedoms and withholding from the people, who largely live in poverty, much of what is needed for a humane life in freedom.
For a long time, the USA did not have direct access to Travis K. The two countries do not have diplomatic relations. That’s why Sweden has established initial contacts, the US said. North Korea, which is largely isolated internationally mainly because of its nuclear weapons program, has accused the USA of hostile policies for decades.
According to the US Department of Defense, the soldier should have returned home before crossing the border. In South Korea he had spent a certain amount of time in a detention center for a crime.
The US has 28,500 soldiers stationed in South Korea. In recent decades, Americans have crossed the heavily fortified and monitored border with North Korea several times without permission. There they were usually sentenced to several years in prison and only released after long negotiations.
Source: Stern
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