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SEOUL — North Korea on Wednesday expelled Travis King, a U.S. soldier who crossed into the country in July, according to North Korean and U.S. officials, ending a high-stakes detention that the Biden administration had feared could drag on for months or years.
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State media claimed that King “confessed that he illegally intruded into the territory of the DPRK” — the abbreviation for North Korea’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
Hours after those reports, King was in U.S. custody, said an American official, who, like others, spoke to reporters on the condition of anonymity.
“Private King appears to be in good health and good spirits as he makes his way home,” a senior administration official said.
He “was very happy to be on his way home,” the official said. “That has been quite clear as we have resumed our contact with him, and he is very much looking forward to being reunited with his family. That is the sentiment that is pervading all else right now.”
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The U.S. government has been reaching out to North Korea through “multiple channels,” including at the United Nations, through U.N. military channels, and via Sweden, which often serves as an interlocutor for the United States in Pyongyang, the official said.
Jonathan Franks, a spokesperson for King’s mother, Claudine Gates, said in a statement on Thursday that she will be “forever grateful to the United States Army and all of its interagency partners for a job well done.” The family asked for privacy, and said they will not be doing “any interviews.”
The North Korean government told Swedish officials earlier this month that it wanted to expel King, the official said, and the U.S. government and Pyongyang communicated afterward via the Swedes about how to facilitate the process. There was no immediate clarity about why the North Koreans had decided not to keep King in custody, but the official said that the Biden administration had made no concessions to win King’s release.
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“We appreciate the dedication of the interagency team that has worked tirelessly out of concern for Private King’s wellbeing,” national security adviser Jake Sullivan said in a statement. “In addition, we thank the government of Sweden for its diplomatic role serving as the protecting power for the United States in the DPRK and the government of the People’s Republic of China for its assistance in facilitating the transit of Private King.”
Pyongyang ultimately released King into Swedish custody in North Korean territory, the official said. The Swedes then accompanied the U.S. soldier across North Korea’s border with China, where he was handed over to Americans, who then flew him out of the country.
Once King returns to U.S. soil, he will be evaluated by a team that will address any medical and emotional concerns and “ensure we get him in a good place to reunite with his family,” said a second senior administration official.
North Korea says U.S. soldier was sick of ‘unequal American society’
U.S. authorities have said King was punished by the Army for alleged misconduct while serving in South Korea and was due to be sent back to the United States when he skipped his scheduled flight.
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Instead, he joined a tour of the Joint Security Area (JSA) in the demilitarized zone separating North and South Korea on July 18 before he appeared to dart across the border. He had not been heard from since.
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U.S. officials declined to comment Wednesday about whether King would face disciplinary proceedings once he is back in the United States, saying that their primary concern for now was ensuring his safe passage home and facilitating contact with his family. King has already spoken to his family while en route back to the United States, one of the senior administration officials said.
What we know about U.S. soldier Travis King, detained in North Korea
U.S. troops who flee their responsibilities can face an array of charges depending on the circumstances, including absence without leave, desertion and misbehavior before the enemy. Going AWOL for three days or less can result in 30 days in the brig, while desertion can result in a prison sentence of up to five years, and misbehavior before the enemy can result in a life sentence or a death penalty. The latter charge is rare, and reserved for actions such as misconduct that “endangers the safety” of a military unit or location.
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Last month, North Korea claimed that King told investigators he had decided to cross into North Korea because of his “ill feeling against inhuman maltreatment and racial discrimination within the U.S. Army.” The U.S. Defense Department said it could not verify North Korea’s comments on King.
U.S. officials have said the soldier “willfully and without authorization” crossed into the North during a tour of the JSA.
U.S. soldier detained after intentionally crossing into North Korea
The United Nations oversees the frontier area that straddles North and South Korea, where the JSA is a section of the demilitarized zone separating the two since the 1950-1953 Korean War ended in an armistice. The zone has been used for civilian tours and diplomatic discussions.
The United States has no formal diplomatic relations with North Korea, so it worked with Sweden, which has an embassy in Pyongyang, although its diplomats were ordered to leave during the pandemic. The Biden administration also made limited outreach to Pyongyang via the United Nations, U.S. officials said.
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King is the first U.S. national known to be detained in North Korea in nearly five years. Releases of Americans detained after voluntarily entering the country have largely followed high-level talks.
The State Department has imposed a ban on U.S. nationals traveling to North Korea since 2017, after the death of Otto Warmbier. The American student, who traveled to Pyongyang and was detained on charges of stealing a propaganda poster, died soon after being sent back to the United States in a coma.
Francis reported from London and Birnbaum reported from Washington. Dan Lamothe contributed to this report from Washington.
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