He was not wearing handcuffs when he was escorted by military police as far as they could go — a security checkpoint at Incheon Airport, a commercial airport about an hour and a half from the DMZ that separates South Korea from the communist North, a senior administration official said.
But instead of continuing alone to the gate and flying back to the U.S., King tagged along with a group that had just arrived and was heading for Panmunjom, which is the Joint Security Area in the middle of the tense border area guarded by North and South Korean soldiers.
Travis King joined a group at the airport headed to the demilitarized zone, where he "bolted," the Pentagon said.
www.nbcnews.com
King had served 47 days at a South Korean detention facility following an altercation with locals, according to a U.S. official.
Two other U.S. officials confirmed to ABC News King was released from the detention facility, then spent about a week at a U.S. base in South Korea under observation.
He completed out-processing from the facility and on Monday was escorted to the Incheon International Airport as far as the customs checkpoint. The military escort had no ticket and was not allowed past the checkpoint, so King continued into the terminal alone.
Because King had finished serving his time, he was no longer under custody. An escort to the gate was not required, and there was no reason to suspect he would fail to board his flight.
Pvt. Travis King crossed into North Korea willingly, two U.S. officials said.
abcnews.go.com
