NORTH KOREA/UNITED STATES: According to the UN Command, North Korea’s initial reaction to inquiries for information concerning the whereabouts of the US soldier was to affirm custody of Travis King.
On July 18, a 23-year-old private sprinted across the border from South Korea. The UN Command withheld further information on Pyongyang’s response, stating it did not want to impede efforts to bring him home.
However, Pyongyang may be prepared to begin talks based on the response. Private 2nd Class King had been using the UN Command’s direct phone line in the Joint Security Area to contact the North Korean Army, which polices the Demilitarized Zone.
KPA has responded to the United Nations Command regarding PV2 King, stating they will withhold further information to avoid delays in bringing him home. This is the first time North Korea has answered after previously acknowledging the request. PV2 King’s whereabouts remain unknown to Pyongyang. He spent two months in South Korea before crossing the border due to assault charges.
After being freed on July 10 and scheduled to return to the US to face disciplinary action, he was able to escape the airport and join the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) tour.
Since January 2021, he is a reconnaissance specialist who joined the army and was on rotation in South Korea. The Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) is a highly defended area,
One of the most strongly defended locations in the world, the DMZ divides the two Koreas. It is enclosed by electric and barbed wire fencing, security cameras, and landmines.
Since the 1950s Korean War, the DMZ has been the barrier between the two nations. Despite an armistice ending the conflict, tens of thousands of US soldiers remain in the South.
The US and North Korea lack diplomatic ties, so the Swedish embassy in Pyongyang often negotiates on their behalf. The pandemic has caused the diplomatic corps to be absent in North Korea.
The UN Command and South Korean military can check in through phone, but North Koreans do not always answer. Several Americans who entered North Korea illegally have been released after serving six-month sentences.
For US President Joe Biden, the soldier’s arrest is a significant foreign policy burden. The sole American detained by North Korea at the moment is reportedly PV2 King. There are still six South Koreans being held as prisoners.
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