Defector US Soldier Previously Unauthorizedly Left Base... "Found in Uijeongbu"

Desertion from Duty Station in September Last Year... Refusal to Return to Base
Multiple Assault Charges While Serving in USFK

On the 18th, Private Travis King (23) of the U.S. Forces Korea, who defected to North Korea, was reported to have a history of unauthorized absences from his stationed base.

On the 22nd (local time), ABC News cited officials saying, "Private King also went AWOL on September 4 last year, and even after his whereabouts were identified, he refused to return to the base or repatriate to the United States."

At that time, Private King, serving as a scout at Camp Bonifas, was found in Uijeongbu, about 40 km away from the camp.

Camp Bonifas is located in Munsan-eup, Paju, 400 meters south of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) and 2,400 meters south of the Military Demarcation Line. The camp is jointly operated by the U.S. Army and U.S. Forces Korea and includes the ROK-U.S. Joint Security Battalion responsible for guarding the Panmunjom area. Until 2006, Camp Bonifas was under U.S. military jurisdiction before being returned to South Korea.

ABC reported, "Considering the nature of the base where Private King was assigned and his role as a scout, it is likely that he was aware of the risks involved in crossing the DMZ."

Meanwhile, Private King is known to have been arrested multiple times on assault charges while serving with the U.S. Forces Korea.

In September last year, King was involved in an altercation at a club in Seoul after drinking, during which he struck a Korean man's face. The victim did not wish to press charges, so no legal action was taken. Subsequently, King was involved in another dispute, during which he kicked the door of a patrol car multiple times, leading to charges of public property damage.

Accordingly, the Seoul Western District Court sentenced King to a fine of 5 million won on February 8 this year, but he failed to pay it and served 48 days of labor in a domestic detention facility.

On the 4th, US Forces Korea and the Republic of Korea Armed Forces were on duty at Panmunjom, Paju-si, Gyeonggi-do. 2022.10.4.
/Photo by Joint Press Corps

Afterward, on the 17th, a day before his defection, Private King boarded a flight from Incheon Airport to Dallas to return to Texas and was scheduled to face administrative penalties for his foreign convictions.

However, it was confirmed that King did not board the plane and left Incheon Airport. The next day, he appeared during a tour of the Joint Security Area (JSA) at Panmunjom, and during the tour, he suddenly crossed the Military Demarcation Line and ran quickly northward, after which his whereabouts became unknown.

The U.S. government has attempted to contact North Korea through multiple channels to ascertain King's location and safety following his defection. However, no response has been received so far.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated at the Aspen Security Forum the day before, "We are very concerned about Private King's safety," adding, "We are trying to communicate with North Korea to determine his whereabouts, but there is nothing further to disclose."