US Soldier Detained in North Korea

[Aurora90]

Travis King: North Korea to deport US soldier who crossed border​

North Korea says it will deport US soldier Travis King who ran across the border from South Korea during a tour in July.

Pyongyang would deport him after finishing its investigation into King's "illegal" entry, state news agency KNCA said.

KCNA did not specify how, when or to where King would be expelled.

The 23-year-old private was on a guided tour when he separated from the group and ran across the border.

Travis King: North Korea to deport US soldier who crossed border

The 23-year-old ran across the border from South Korea during a tour of the area in July.

www.bbc.co.uk

This is amazing. I was concerned he would turn out like Otto. I am so happy to hear this.

 

[Aurora90]

Ikr ?
Yeah, that's not going to happen ... lucky for Travis.

Considering his despicable behavior towards the locals in SK, not to mention I'm curious what his earlier conduct was during-- and before -- the military ?


But I believe a good long time behind bars will give him time to think about his actions.
Travis King should be grateful literally for the rest of his life; to be living in a nation where they rescued him, even though he deserted, and (allegedly) badmouthed the country of his origin ... and have past charges pending !
Omo.

Oh I clearly must have missed something, can you elaborate?

 

[PrairieWind]

Oh I clearly must have missed something, can you elaborate?

"King, who joined the U.S. army in January 2021, faced two allegations of assault in South Korea. He pleaded guilty to one instance of assault and destroying public property for damaging a police car during a profanity-laced tirade against Koreans, according to court documents. He was due to face more disciplinary measures when he arrived back in the United States."

The Army was returning him to the US and he was escorted to the Kimpo airport when he fled and eventually ran into North Korea.

I find it interesting that the US got custody of him in Beijing. So the North Koreans transported him up there instead of just sending him back across the border at Panmunjom.

 

[Aurora90]

"King, who joined the U.S. army in January 2021, faced two allegations of assault in South Korea. He pleaded guilty to one instance of assault and destroying public property for damaging a police car during a profanity-laced tirade against Koreans, according to court documents. He was due to face more disciplinary measures when he arrived back in the United States."

The Army was returning him to the US and he was escorted to the Kimpo airport when he fled and eventually ran into North Korea.

I find it interesting that the US got custody of him in Beijing. So the North Koreans transported him up there instead of just sending him back across the border at Panmunjom.

Thank you so much for the clarification!

 

[ifindedout]

"King, who joined the U.S. army in January 2021, faced two allegations of assault in South Korea. He pleaded guilty to one instance of assault and destroying public property for damaging a police car during a profanity-laced tirade against Koreans, according to court documents. He was due to face more disciplinary measures when he arrived back in the United States."

SBBM
Maybe NK realized that his claims about American racism amounted to throwing stones in a glass house, that if he doesn't like South Koreans, he's not going to like North Koreans either, and basically told him nice try, we have a plane waiting and you're going to leave on it.

 

[PrairieWind]

SBBM
Maybe NK realized that his claims about American racism amounted to throwing stones in a glass house, that if he doesn't like South Koreans, he's not going to like North Koreans either, and basically told him nice try, we have a plane waiting and you're going to leave on it.

It wouldn't have taken the North Koreans long to learn about what he thought of Koreans. King is lucky he is coming home at all. But I bet their propaganda use of him is yet to come. They will see how he is treated. If he is vigorously prosecuted, they will say "see, Black men are oppressed in the US for speaking out." If we go easy, they will say "see, Americans coddle Korean hating people."

 

[Chimera]

Oh I clearly must have missed something, can you elaborate?

Back at the start of this thread, like, the first two posts ( I had to go back and reread myself !), he had been facing charges for threatening and assaulting some locals in SK.
Also post # 143 above. ^^^

I'm just curious if TK has always been 'trouble', so to speak ?
Omo.

 

[Inthedetails]

He's back on American soil, in condition to be able to walk off the plane (thank goodness not like Otto's condition). I don't like this deserter, but I also don't want anyone harmed.

Anyway, Sweden and China helped with getting him released from North Korea.

Video shows Army soldier arriving back on US soil, 2 months after he crossed into N. Korea

The American soldier who sprinted into North Korea across the heavily fortified border between the Koreas two months ago arrived back in the US early Thursday, video appeared to show.

nypost.com

 

[Dhighsmith]

He's back on American soil, in condition to be able to walk off the plane (thank goodness not like Otto's condition). I don't like this deserter, but I also don't want anyone harmed.

Anyway, Sweden and China helped with getting him released from North Korea.

Video shows Army soldier arriving back on US soil, 2 months after he crossed into N. Korea

The American soldier who sprinted into North Korea across the heavily fortified border between the Koreas two months ago arrived back in the US early Thursday, video appeared to show.

nypost.com

Thanks for update. Not sure if you have insight but isn’t there suspected mental illness connected to the death of a family member? Thought I read he had no disciplinary issues until he suffered loss of family member.
I’m happy for his Mother.

 

[justtrish]

He's in San Antonio at BAMC (Brooke Army Medical Center) which is the largest Army Treatment Facility. I'm sure he will get top notch medical care to ensure he is medically okay and nothing was done to him. I'd guess he's going to go through some serious debriefing to find out what happened while he was in North Korea. I would also guess he's going to get mentally evaluated to get to the bottom of any underlying medical issues that could have caused him to bolt for North Korea.

 

[Dhighsmith]

He's in San Antonio at BAMC (Brooke Army Medical Center) which is the largest Army Treatment Facility. I'm sure he will get top notch medical care to ensure he is medically okay and nothing was done to him. I'd guess he's going to go through some serious debriefing to find out what happened while he was in North Korea. I would also guess he's going to get mentally evaluated to get to the bottom of any underlying medical issues that could have caused him to bolt for North Korea.

That’ll good to know, thanks for sharing info.

 

[PrairieWind]

He's in San Antonio at BAMC (Brooke Army Medical Center) which is the largest Army Treatment Facility. I'm sure he will get top notch medical care to ensure he is medically okay and nothing was done to him. I'd guess he's going to go through some serious debriefing to find out what happened while he was in North Korea. I would also guess he's going to get mentally evaluated to get to the bottom of any underlying medical issues that could have caused him to bolt for North Korea.

I wonder how cooperative he is. I'd love to know what happened to him after he crossed over.

 

[justtrish]

I wonder how cooperative he is. I'd love to know what happened to him after he crossed over.

For his sake, it's be best to be extremely cooperative. IF (big if) there was something mentally going on with him that caused him to bail at the airport and make his way to the border, then the best way for him to prove that is to speak freely and openly about what was going on then and now as well as during the time he was held in NK.

I am very familiar with the process of deploying and redeploying (returning home). Before his unit left for South Korea they would have went through medical screening, dental screenings, and many other steps that either clear the soldier to go on a rotation or it prevents them from being cleared and those soldiers not cleared do not go. Let's say someone injures their foot and they need physical therapy.. they would stay behind. I think for many mental concerns they would stay behind. They would not send him to Korea if they knew he had something serious going on. Nobody wants to get a bunch of soldiers in an area like Korea and have to get them medical treatment or let's say something like wisdom teeth out, etc. They do their best to screen them so they aren't having to deal with many major issues when they are gone. His unit was on a 9 month rotation (deployment) to South Korea. They can get medical treatment and they do have facilities, but it's just best to be as well as possible before leaving and then deal with anything that pops up while gone, when they return to the base that sent them there (in his case Fort Bliss, Tx).

My husband has went on many deployments and rotations. This is the same process for anyone going for an extended time like that. They have enough to deal with being on a rotation (usually they go on rotations to conduct training and often times it's with other countries to prepare in case there would ever be war they already have "practiced" things together). Many soldiers have gotten in trouble while on these rotations. They get sent home to face disciplinary actions if it's serious enough. This soldier was not anything different/special/unusual from others that have gotten in trouble while being overseas. Since he was being escorted to the airport that isn't really like he was detained and in custody and being transferred to the us. He was simply taken to the airport for his flight home to face whatever consequences he would face at Fort Bliss for his actions while in South Korea. Sure it sucks and he might have been booted out of the military, but he would have been seen by medical professionals also to get the help he needed if he was having a mental crisis. I am not sure what went wrong for him that he thought North Korea was best, but I know whatever he faced at Fort Bliss was NOT going to be so bad that he needed to flea like he did.

 

[PrairieWind]

For his sake, it's be best to be extremely cooperative. IF (big if) there was something mentally going on with him that caused him to bail at the airport and make his way to the border, then the best way for him to prove that is to speak freely and openly about what was going on then and now as well as during the time he was held in NK.

I am very familiar with the process of deploying and redeploying (returning home). Before his unit left for South Korea they would have went through medical screening, dental screenings, and many other steps that either clear the soldier to go on a rotation or it prevents them from being cleared and those soldiers not cleared do not go. Let's say someone injures their foot and they need physical therapy.. they would stay behind. I think for many mental concerns they would stay behind. They would not send him to Korea if they knew he had something serious going on. Nobody wants to get a bunch of soldiers in an area like Korea and have to get them medical treatment or let's say something like wisdom teeth out, etc. They do their best to screen them so they aren't having to deal with many major issues when they are gone. His unit was on a 9 month rotation (deployment) to South Korea. They can get medical treatment and they do have facilities, but it's just best to be as well as possible before leaving and then deal with anything that pops up while gone, when they return to the base that sent them there (in his case Fort Bliss, Tx).

My husband has went on many deployments and rotations. This is the same process for anyone going for an extended time like that. They have enough to deal with being on a rotation (usually they go on rotations to conduct training and often times it's with other countries to prepare in case there would ever be war they already have "practiced" things together). Many soldiers have gotten in trouble while on these rotations. They get sent home to face disciplinary actions if it's serious enough. This soldier was not anything different/special/unusual from others that have gotten in trouble while being overseas. Since he was being escorted to the airport that isn't really like he was detained and in custody and being transferred to the us. He was simply taken to the airport for his flight home to face whatever consequences he would face at Fort Bliss for his actions while in South Korea. Sure it sucks and he might have been booted out of the military, but he would have been seen by medical professionals also to get the help he needed if he was having a mental crisis. I am not sure what went wrong for him that he thought North Korea was best, but I know whatever he faced at Fort Bliss was NOT going to be so bad that he needed to flea like he did.

So much of this story is unknown since the military doesn't share much. But from the reports I have seen, when King was being taken to Kimpo, it was to be flown to Ft. Bliss to process his discharge. Not face court-martial for his desertion. That is appalling to me if it is correct.

 

[LadyL]

This is amazing. I was concerned he would turn out like Otto. I am so happy to hear this.

I'll reserve judgment until I see how he is after having been deported. Someone said he was well enough to walk off the plane so hopefully that's a good sign.

 

[PrairieWind]

Army Still Undecided on Whether to Punish Pvt. Travis King, But Potential Charges Loom

Whether Pvt. Travis King will face Army punishment for fleeing into North Korea in July remains an open question days after he returned to U.S. soil on Sept. 28.

www.yahoo.com

King was never listed as a deserter.

 

[sds71]

The U.S. Army has charged Private Travis King with crimes ranging from desertion for running into North Korea in July to assault against fellow soldiers and solicitation of child , according to documents obtained by Reuters.

The Army's case against King, which has not been previously reported, includes eight distinct charges under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, setting up a substantial legal battle for the 23-year-old soldier after his release from North Korean custody in September.

Exclusive: US Army charges Private Travis King with desertion over dash into North Korea

The Army's case against King, which has not been previously reported, includes eight distinct charges under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, setting up a substantial legal battle for the 23-year-old soldier.

www.reuters.com

 

[justtrish]

The U.S. Army has charged Private Travis King with crimes ranging from desertion for running into North Korea in July to assault against fellow soldiers and solicitation of child *advertiser censored*, according to documents obtained by Reuters.

The Army's case against King, which has not been previously reported, includes eight distinct charges under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, setting up a substantial legal battle for the 23-year-old soldier after his release from North Korean custody in September.

Exclusive: US Army charges Private Travis King with desertion over dash into North Korea

The Army's case against King, which has not been previously reported, includes eight distinct charges under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, setting up a substantial legal battle for the 23-year-old soldier.

www.reuters.com

Wow.. well that isn't good. I am curious what all 8 charges are. I can't access the military courts martial website, it seems to be down right now, but I'll keep checking.

 

[sds71]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1715188911780122821

https://twitter.com/x/status/1715189210674606237

 

[justtrish]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1715188911780122821

https://twitter.com/x/status/1715189210674606237

@sds71 those first 2 aren't showing up. Were they the same as the last that did show up or are those different charges in the first 2?