Who is Travis King? A US soldier is believed to be in North Korean custody for the first time in decades.
That is a scenario that could cause the US diplomatic headaches as it tries to maintain pressure on Pyongyang alongside ally South Korea as the isolated nation ramps up its ballistic missile tests and bellicose rhetoric.
The soldier who crossed the border into North Korea on Tuesday has been identified as Pvt. Travis King by the US Army.
According to US military officials, King entered North Korea “willfully and without authorization” while on a civilian tour of the Joint Security Area, a small collection of buildings inside the 150-mile-long demilitarised zone (DMZ) that has separated North and South Korea since the Korean War ended in 1953.
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“We believe he is currently in (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) custody and are working with our (Korean People’s Army) counterparts to resolve this incident,” US Forces Korea spokesperson Col. Isaac Taylor said in a statement.
Here’s what we know so far.
Who is Travis King?
King is a scout in the cavalry who joined the military in January 2021.
According to Army spokesperson Bryce Dubee, during his rotation in South Korea, King was assigned to the 6th Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armoured Division out of Fort Bliss, Texas.
US officials did not specify how long King had been in South Korea, but at some point, he faced disciplinary action for assault and was detained for 50 days.
It is unknown whether King spent that time in South Korean or US military custody, but according to US officials, he was escorted to an airport for a flight back to the US at some point after his release.
At the airport, King’s escorts were unable to accompany him through a security checkpoint, so he left the airport and later made his way to the Joint Security Area tour.
King is thought to be the first US soldier to enter North Korea since 1982.
Why does this matter?
Relations between the US and North Korea have been strained for decades, but things are particularly difficult at the moment.
Tensions between Pyongyang and Washington have been rising as the North has increased its nuclear and missile programmes in the years since talks between former US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un broke down in 2019.
Those talks, which included three in-person meetings and saw Trump become the first sitting US President to cross the same demarcation line King did on Tuesday, ended with no meaningful diplomatic breakthroughs.
North Korea has conducted three intercontinental ballistic missile tests this year and has accused Washington and Seoul of inflaming tensions through military exercises and weapon deployments, including the recent deployment of a US Navy nuclear-capable ballistic missile submarine to the South Korean port of Busan.
In defiance of international sanctions, North Korea tested more than 90 cruise and ballistic missiles last year, including one that flew over Japan. The increase in testing has raised concerns that it is preparing for a nuclear test, its first since 2017.
The US does not have formal diplomatic relations with North Korea. Instead, the Swedish Embassy in Pyongyang serves as a US liaison.
King is now in the hands of a notoriously autocratic and opaque one-party regime that considers the US to be a mortal enemy.
It is unclear what military intelligence value King could provide to North Korea. As a private, he would not have access to top-level information, but by simply being on a US military installation, he may be able to discuss things like base layouts or the units and numbers of troops stationed there.
However, King’s status as a soldier and US citizen provides Pyongyang with a potentially powerful bargaining chip.
The UN Command, which oversees operations along the DMZ, stated that it is “working with our (North) Korean People’s Army counterparts to resolve this incident.” It is unknown what North Korea might demand in order to return King to US custody.
North Korea could also use King to spread propaganda.
A few US soldiers defected to the North Korean side in the decades following the Korean War’s end, but there has been no recent defection.
And it’s unclear what King’s intentions were at the moment.
Nonetheless, there have been numerous recent instances of US nationals becoming stranded in North Korea or being detained, sometimes for extended periods of time as US officials try to secure their release and Pyongyang looks to extract concessions.
