Soldier Travis King has touched down on US soil after being expelled from North Korea, a Defense Department official said.
Mr King, 23, arrived at Kelly Field at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston at around 1:30 am ET on Thursday morning, the official told CNN.
The soldier was seen being escorted off a plane by several people and was taken to another area of the military base.
It comes nearly two months after Mr King was taken into North Korean custody after he made a sudden dash across the border into the country while on a guided tour in the demilitarised zone separating the North and South.
Washington declined to declare him a prisoner of war despite heated debate within the government.
State news agency KCNA reported on Wednesday that Mr King had confessed to illegally entering the country back in July.
But following months of intense diplomacy, Mr King was turned over to American authorities by North Korea in China yesterday.
Pyongyang reportedly deported him after concluding its investigation into his “illegal” entry into the country, a report said.
In a statement, White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan praised what he described as “the dedication of the interagency team that has worked tirelessly out of concern for Private King’s wellbeing”.
A senior US official who briefed reporters on the developments said the US government had “successfully facilitated” his departure from North Korea following what the official described as “a months-long effort involving multiple US government agencies” which had been “undertaken out of concern for Private King’s well-being and a desire to reunite him with his family”.
Photo of Travis King shared by his family— (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
The official added that the US had been “reaching out” to Pyongyang “through multiple channels” over the last two months – including through the United Nations and the United Nations Command which oversees the allied military presence in South Korea – to gain information on Mr King’s welfare and to “secure his safe return home”.
It is understood that Mr King fled across the border into North Korea on 18 July rather than board a US-bound plane to face discipline by military authorities at home.
Prior to this, the soldier had been detained for more than 40 days in a South Korean penal facility after he was convicted on assault and destruction of private property charges.
On his release on 10 July, he was scheduled to return home to his home base at Fort Bliss in Texas, the SCMP previously reported. But he skipped the flight and crossed into North Korea.
North Korea previously claimed that its investigation into Mr King’s crossing had revealed that he was seeking refuge in the country “due to inhuman treatment in the US military, antipathy to racism and disillusionment with the unequal US society”.
A Defence Department official said the military’s focus at this time is “caring for Private King and his family,” and stressed that upon arrival in the US, he will be “evaluated by some very talented, experienced and experienced team” who will “guide him through a reintegration process that will address any medical and emotional concerns and ensure we get him in a good place to reunite with his family”.
The official said questions of the soldier’s disciplinary status and any possible court-martial would be resolved “following completion of his reintegration”.
