North Korea "Decision to Expel USFK Soldiers"... 71 Days After Unauthorized Defection (Comprehensive)

Private Travis King, a US Soldier Who Defected North During JSA Tour, Deported After 71 Days

North Korea announced that it has decided to deport Private Travis King, a U.S. soldier stationed in South Korea who illegally crossed into North Korea on July 18. It has been 71 days since Private King crossed the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) without permission while touring the Joint Security Area (JSA).

The Korean Central News Agency reported on the 27th that the investigation into King has been completed, stating, "The relevant authorities have decided to deport U.S. soldier Travis King, who illegally intruded into the territory of the Republic, in accordance with the laws of the Republic."

The agency added, "According to the investigation by the relevant authorities, Travis King confessed that he illegally intruded into the Republic's territory due to resentment over inhumane abuse and racial discrimination within the U.S. military, as well as disillusionment with the unequal American society."

King was fined 5 million won in February this year for kicking and damaging a police patrol car door in Mapo-gu, Seoul, last October. Separately, he was also indicted last September for assaulting a Korean, but the victim expressed a desire not to press charges. Because he did not pay the fine, he performed 48 days of labor in South Korea from May 24 and was released on July 10.

He was scheduled to be sent back to Texas, USA, on July 17 to face additional military disciplinary action, but he disappeared without boarding the plane at Incheon Airport and crossed into North Korea the next day during a JSA tour.

North Korea did not specify when or how it will deport him. Many American civilians previously detained in North Korea have exited the country via flights through Beijing.

In 2013, American Merrill Newman, who was detained during a tour in North Korea, left Pyongyang for Beijing on a Korean Air flight on the same day North Korea announced its decision to deport him. Similarly, Robert Park, who was detained in North Korea in December 2009 for illegal entry, arrived in Beijing on a Korean Air flight one day after North Korea announced his release in February the following year.