Fugitive US soldier: Travis King wants to apply for a visa to North Korea

in the case of late American soldiers who defected to North Korea Travis King spoke for the first time about leadership in Pyongyang. He ran across heavily secured borders out of disillusionment with the inequality of American society, according to a report by state news agency KCNA on Wednesday. North Korean investigatorsThe black soldier said he was “upset at the inhumane treatment and racial discrimination within the US military”.

Americans have also shown a willingness to seek protection in North Korea or a third country. The reason was that he was “disappointed with the unequal American society.” North Korea also stated that investigations with the American soldier are still ongoing. His border crossing into North Korea was “illegal”.

Two months in a South Korean prison

The soldier had spent nearly two months in a South Korean prison for assault. After his release from custody, he was scheduled to be returned to Fort Bliss, Texas, in mid-July. Instead, shortly before his scheduled departure to the United States, he left the airport in South Korea, joined a tour group for a tour of the border town of Panmunjom, and fled to North Korea. He is the first American to be held in the largely isolated country for nearly five years.

This is the first time that North Korea has acknowledged the detention of US soldier Travis King. However, it is impossible to confirm the authenticity of the statements attributed to him. The official news agency, KCNA, is considered the mouthpiece of the leadership in Pyongyang and often publishes statements and reports that reflect the official North Korean line that America is a malign enemy.

“This is 100 percent North Korean propaganda in its element,” said Sue Kim, an expert at the US consulting firm LMI and a former CIA analyst, of the North Korean version of the soldier’s case. “King, as a US citizen held in North Korea, has no control over how the Democratic Republic of Korea (North Korea’s official name) operates his narrative.” As for his possible release, his fate is now in North Korean hands. Perhaps the leadership will try to “barter” King’s life in anticipation of financial concessions from the United States. However, one can assume that the negotiations will not be easy and will not take place under the conditions stipulated by Pyongyang, as predicted by Suu Kim.

Foreigners as leverage

The United States, South Korea and other countries have accused North Korea of ​​using the detention of foreigners to gain diplomatic favors. After their release, some of the foreign prisoners said they gave their confessions under duress while being held in North Korea. Some experts have also suspected that North Korea could tie the potential release of the kings to a US commitment to reduce military exercises with South Korea.

North Korea has conducted more than 100 weapons tests since early 2022. Many of those tests have been accompanied by warnings of escalating US-South Korean exercises, which Pyongyang views as preparation for an invasion. Large-scale maneuvers by allies Washington and Seoul are scheduled to begin next Monday. North Korea was also recently severely disturbed by the United States’ plans to hold a session of the UN Security Council on the human rights situation on its soil. The United States will chair the most powerful UN body in August.

(DPA/chk)View comments