US Soldier Detained in North Korea

[Warwick1991]

I'm not sure they would want to imprison him really. He isn't worth anything to them.

In the past, I would have agreed that he wouldn't mean anything to them. They might have expelled him or used him for anti-Western propaganda. But the most recent NK politics have been utterly savage, with ICBM tests and stopping any cooperation with South Korea. The paranoia that is part of Stalinist culture may result in claims that King is a spy.

 

[realanastasia]

I know this is kind of off topic, but I think some folks on this thread would enjoy/find intriguing, as I very much did, this travelogue by one of the gents from Monty Python (there is a TV documentary based on this book, though I haven’t seen it): https://www.amazon.com/North-Korea-Journal-Michael-Palin/dp/0735279829

 

[Inthedetails]

I know this is kind of off topic, but I think some folks on this thread would enjoy/find intriguing, as I very much did, this travelogue by one of the gents from Monty Python (there is a TV documentary based on this book, though I haven’t seen it): https://www.amazon.com/North-Korea-Journal-Michael-Palin/dp/0735279829

That sounds interesting - thanks! And, it's on-topic, imo.

jmo

 

[Chimera]

Army Sec fears North Korea may seriously harm troubled US 'defector'

Military top brass are fearful for the safety of a US soldier who crossed into North Korea - and Kim Jong-Un 's government is ignoring calls from Washington about the crisis.

www.dailymail.co.uk

• Army Secretary Christine Wormuth is concerned how North Korea will treat a US soldier who bolted into the secretive communist state on Tuesday
• Private 2nd Class Travis King, 23, ran into North Korea during a tour of the border in South Korea
• But officials in dictator Kim Jong-Un's totalitarian government have refused to acknowledge the situation or respond to US communications

Military top brass are increasingly fearful for the safety of a US soldier who crossed into North Korea on Tuesday - and Kim Jong-Un's government is ignoring calls from Washington about the crisis.

I do have compassion for someone who makes a seemingly foolish choice, like the one Travis King apparently made.

The wording in the first video in the above link was disturbing : (paraphrased) "... we have notified his next of kin..." .

While it sounds like they're just saying the military have let King's family know what happened, it sounds ominous.

Relations between the Us and NK are not good right now, which makes it seem all the more dangerous for Travis, and
they may think Travis has information that he does not.
Omo.
Ymmv.

 

[IceIce9]

Time to send Dennis Rodman over to negotiate.

 

[MiamiGuy50]

Interesting info today:

“But even if there is direct contact between the U.S and North Korea, Ruggiero and other experts expect that the Biden administration will be reluctant to expend any significant political capital to secure the freedom of a soldier who fled while facing disciplinary action.”

Makes sense considering He may have committed treason imo.


I’m very curious what North Koreas plan will be, and if Kim will follow his grandfathers footsteps and make the soldier act in propaganda films, study Korean literature, etc.

 

[MiamiGuy50]

Relations between the Us and NK are not good right now, which makes it seem all the more dangerous for Travis, and
they may think Travis has information that he does not.
Omo.
Ymmv.

I had the same thought. They think he has secrets… they might try to waterboard him I bet.

far fetched idea I had:
what if Trump talks to Kim to try to secure Kings release just to “one up” biden? Kim and trump were apparently friends. former presidents have secured release of soldiers from NK before (carter/clinton were the ones who met with Kim jong il I think to free the hostages). I’m not holding my breath but it was a brief thought I had… trump did pardon quite a few bad criminals so this isn’t so out of line, and former presidents with relations have worked as great foreign ambassadors before. Then again, trumps got a lot of his own problems right now in his plate, and he may prefer to “let this ride crash on it it’s own” to make biden look bad. Yeah I just talked myself out of this idea. Hard to see trump saving the treasonous soldier. But we have seen presidents do it before, so who knows

 

[PrairieWind]

Interesting info today:

“But even if there is direct contact between the U.S and North Korea, Ruggiero and other experts expect that the Biden administration will be reluctant to expend any significant political capital to secure the freedom of a soldier who fled while facing disciplinary action.”

Makes sense considering He may have committed treason imo.


I’m very curious what North Koreas plan will be, and if Kim will follow his grandfathers footsteps and make the soldier act in propaganda films, study Korean literature, etc.

Some of this may really come down to what Pvt King wants. If he still says he wants to stat in NK, the North Koreans may use him as a propaganda tool that he willingly participates in. Which means he will never be able to come back to the US. If he regrets his journey north and wants out, and the US isn't willing to give anything for him, he could be in real trouble.

 

[tarabull]

Past comments may give new clues in mystery around why US soldier entered North Korea

Pvt. Travis King once "refused to return to post or America," an official said.

abcnews.go.com

 

[Lamima]

Our current government will not take any measures to extract him. He is doomed. I wish they did not go public with all this and alert NK that he is there. They really have doomed this kid.

 

[lonetraveler]

US soldier runs into North Korea after assault case

The US soldier who dashed across the heavily fortified border from South to North Korea previously attacked a police car and punched a man in the face at a Seoul nightclub.

www.yahoo.com

Private King was this week taken by a military escort to the airport but fled at the customs area and travelled to the “peace village” of Panmunjom where he joined a tour group in the demilitarised zone (DMZ) before bolting into North Korea.
Emphasis mine.

Eta : Thanks for clarifying, @cujenn81 !



A tourist who accompanied Private King at Panmunjom said the group had been stunned when the US soldier ran between the blue huts straddling the border and over to the other side while laughing loudly.
Emph. mine.
Almost as if he had some type of mental break ?
What a cluster he has caused.
I still feel for him as who knows what is happening to Travis right now ?
As he is military, NK may feel heightened threats as in believing Travis is some sort of spy, and might be even harsher on him.

Wonder if our gov't. will exchange someone for him ?
The issue with that is we don't have anyone in custody that they would want, as far as I know.
Omo.

This man is experiencing a very rude awakening right now, I suspect.

 

[Warwick1991]

Our current government will not take any measures to extract him. He is doomed. I wish they did not go public with all this and alert NK that he is there. They really have doomed this kid.

Per the news articles earlier in the thread, he ran into the North Korean zone in a heavily patrolled area with numerous observation posts on both sides of the border. The North Koreans knew he crossed the border immediately. They have observers everywhere.

I've actually been to the border area where this took place. There's continual observation by both sides. King would have been intercepted immediately.

As far as an extraction, that would be an extraordinary mission. Diplomacy would be the only viable process. As far as the effort expended, I don't think any US administration would offer much for him as an exchange.

 

[cujenn81]

It's a fascinating topic to me, it's sent me down several rabbit holes with websites and books from Amazon

I’ve read many books about North Korea. Most have been memoirs by North Korean defectors, but one was written by an American journalist with familial ties in South Korea. She lived in North Korea for six months with a group of Christian missionaries posing as English teachers for the children of the elite class. That one is called Without You, There is No Us: My Time with the Sons of the North Korean Elite by Suki Kim.

Others I’ve read:
A River in Darkness: One Man’s Escape from North Korea by Masaji Ishikawa

A Thousand Miles to Freedom: My Escape from North Korea by Eunsun Kim

In Order to Live: A North Korean Girl’s Journey to Freedom by Yeonmi Park

Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick

Dear Leader: Poet, Spy, Escapee by Jang Jin-sung

Yeonmi Park’s story was especially hard to read because she really had to overcome a lot to escape. She’s also done a TED talk and many interviews, which you can find on YouTube if you’re interested.

IMO, there’s 0% chance King won’t be imprisoned. North Korea loves to parade around Americans for propaganda purposes. I agree there’s very little they’ll get out of it other than the pure satisfaction of making an American squirm and the potential to use him as a bargaining chip. But that doesn’t mean they won’t try to pump him for information that he doesn’t have. The amount of vitriol that is drilled into the minds of every North Korean about Americans and the United States really cannot be understated. Nothing they know about the world is remotely based in reality. Unfortunately, I can’t think of a single scenario that would result in King being treated humanely. The average North Korean isn’t even treated that way.

ETA: Corrected the amount of time Suki Kim lived in North Korea from one year to six months.

 

[Turkeytrot]

I’ve read many books about North Korea. Most have been memoirs by North Korean defectors, but one was written by an American journalist with familial ties in South Korea. She lived in North Korea for six months with a group of Christian missionaries posing as English teachers for the children of the elite class. That one is called Without You, There is No Us: My Time with the Sons of the North Korean Elite by Suki Kim.

Others I’ve read:
A River in Darkness: One Man’s Escape from North Korea by Masaji Ishikawa

A Thousand Miles to Freedom: My Escape from North Korea by Eunsun Kim

In Order to Live: A North Korean Girl’s Journey to Freedom by Yeonmi Park

Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick

Dear Leader: Poet, Spy, Escapee by Jang Jin-sung

Yeonmi Park’s story was especially hard to read because she really had to overcome a lot to escape. She’s also done a TED talk and many interviews, which you can find on YouTube if you’re interested.

IMO, there’s 0% chance King won’t be imprisoned. North Korea loves to parade around Americans for propaganda purposes. I agree there’s very little they’ll get out of it other than the pure satisfaction of making an American squirm and the potential to use him as a bargaining chip. But that doesn’t mean they won’t try to pump him for information that he doesn’t have. The amount of vitriol that is drilled into the minds of every North Korean about Americans and the United States really cannot be understated. Nothing they know about the world is remotely based in reality. Unfortunately, I can’t think of a single scenario that would result in King being treated humanely. The average North Korean isn’t even treated that way.

ETA: Corrected the amount of time Suki Kim lived in North Korea from one year to six months.

Thank you for sharing these, going to have to check them out.

 

[vls12345]

I’ve read many books about North Korea. Most have been memoirs by North Korean defectors, but one was written by an American journalist with familial ties in South Korea. She lived in North Korea for six months with a group of Christian missionaries posing as English teachers for the children of the elite class. That one is called Without You, There is No Us: My Time with the Sons of the North Korean Elite by Suki Kim.

Others I’ve read:
A River in Darkness: One Man’s Escape from North Korea by Masaji Ishikawa

A Thousand Miles to Freedom: My Escape from North Korea by Eunsun Kim

In Order to Live: A North Korean Girl’s Journey to Freedom by Yeonmi Park

Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick

Dear Leader: Poet, Spy, Escapee by Jang Jin-sung

Yeonmi Park’s story was especially hard to read because she really had to overcome a lot to escape. She’s also done a TED talk and many interviews, which you can find on YouTube if you’re interested.

IMO, there’s 0% chance King won’t be imprisoned. North Korea loves to parade around Americans for propaganda purposes. I agree there’s very little they’ll get out of it other than the pure satisfaction of making an American squirm and the potential to use him as a bargaining chip. But that doesn’t mean they won’t try to pump him for information that he doesn’t have. The amount of vitriol that is drilled into the minds of every North Korean about Americans and the United States really cannot be understated. Nothing they know about the world is remotely based in reality. Unfortunately, I can’t think of a single scenario that would result in King being treated humanely. The average North Korean isn’t even treated that way.

ETA: Corrected the amount of time Suki Kim lived in North Korea from one year to six months.

One more book to recommend that may be of interest here is "A Kim Jong-Il Production: The Extraordinary True Story of a Kidnapped Filmmaker, His Star Actress, and a Young Dictator's Rise to Power" by Paul Fischer. I thought it was fascinating and it gave insight into N Korea using people from other countries for propaganda films.

https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250054272/akimjongilproduction

 

[thefragile7393]

Our current government will not take any measures to extract him. He is doomed. I wish they did not go public with all this and alert NK that he is there. They really have doomed this kid.

uh NK knew he was there long before any of this went public. Cameras and security all along the DMZ would have alerted them to the presence of someone who shouldn’t be there.

It’s not like they have zero technology and only found out he existed when the US called about him….he was likely captured not after he skipped over there. He “doomed” himself when he chose to act foolish-that has nothing to do with the American govt.

 

[thefragile7393]

I’ve read many books about North Korea. Most have been memoirs by North Korean defectors, but one was written by an American journalist with familial ties in South Korea. She lived in North Korea for six months with a group of Christian missionaries posing as English teachers for the children of the elite class. That one is called Without You, There is No Us: My Time with the Sons of the North Korean Elite by Suki Kim.

Others I’ve read:
A River in Darkness: One Man’s Escape from North Korea by Masaji Ishikawa

A Thousand Miles to Freedom: My Escape from North Korea by Eunsun Kim

In Order to Live: A North Korean Girl’s Journey to Freedom by Yeonmi Park

Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick

Dear Leader: Poet, Spy, Escapee by Jang Jin-sung

Yeonmi Park’s story was especially hard to read because she really had to overcome a lot to escape. She’s also done a TED talk and many interviews, which you can find on YouTube if you’re interested.

IMO, there’s 0% chance King won’t be imprisoned. North Korea loves to parade around Americans for propaganda purposes. I agree there’s very little they’ll get out of it other than the pure satisfaction of making an American squirm and the potential to use him as a bargaining chip. But that doesn’t mean they won’t try to pump him for information that he doesn’t have. The amount of vitriol that is drilled into the minds of every North Korean about Americans and the United States really cannot be understated. Nothing they know about the world is remotely based in reality. Unfortunately, I can’t think of a single scenario that would result in King being treated humanely. The average North Korean isn’t even treated that way.

ETA: Corrected the amount of time Suki Kim lived in North Korea from one year to six months.

Thank you!!! I’m going to look up all these books

 

[lonetraveler]

This man voluntarily entered North Korea. He was in the process of being sent back to America. I do not want any American soldiers or agents to be harmed trying to "free" him. He wanted to be there, let him be there.

 

[Chimera]

@lonetraveler :
You do have a point, especially regarding others trying to free him.
I don't want to see any innocent people harmed who had nothing to do with someone else's choices.
Funny -- this could apply to many other situations.
This all may be unfolding behind the scenes in NK; differently from the way we think it could be, too.
Omo.
Imo.

 

[Sincerely]

even if they agreed to a trade, look how they sent back Otto Warmbier
I'm not hopeful.

I think of Otto Warmbier so often and the sadness has not lessened. I hope this man is out of North Korea by now. Unless, of course he chooses to remain there. That sounds absurd to me but today, not much surprises me. I agree that if he chose to be there and was competent when he made that choice then no one should put their life on the line.