PICTURED: US soldier who 'defected' to North Korea and whisked away in a van ... trends now
An American soldier who had served nearly two months in a South Korean prison, fled across the heavily armed border into North Korea, becoming the first American detained in the North in nearly five years.
Private 2nd Class Travis King had been held on assault charges and was released on July 10 after serving his time.
Instead of getting on a plane to be taken back to Fort Bliss, Texas, he left and joined a tour of the Korean border village of Panmunjom, where he ran across the border, U.S. officials say.
His detainment came ahead of North Korea firing two short-range ballistic missiles into its eastern sea early Wednesday in what appeared to be a statement of defiance as the United States deployed a nuclear-armed submarine to South Korea for the first time in decades.
However, his mother has spoken out, denying claims that he was fleeing and saying she desperately wants her son to come home.
Travis King crossed into North Korea shortly after being released from prison in South Korea
'I'm so proud of him. I just want him to come home, come back to America,' Claudine Gates told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.
Gates added that she couldn't see her son fleeing and entering North Korea on purpose.
According to officials, King, 23, was taken to the airport and escorted as far as customs.
But instead of getting on the plane, he left the airport and later joined a tour of the Korean border village of Panmunjom.
He bolted across the border, which is lined with guards and often crowded with tourists, on Tuesday afternoon local time in Korea.
The Army released his name and limited information after King's family was notified of the incident.
But a number of U.S. officials provided additional details on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.
It wasn't clear how he got to the border or how he spent the hours between leaving the airport on Monday and crossing the border a day later.
At a Pentagon press conference Tuesday, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin confirmed that the U.S. service member was likely now in North Korean custody
King bolted across the border, which is lined with guards and often crowded with tourists, on Tuesday afternoon local time in Korea
At a Pentagon press conference Tuesday, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin confirmed that the U.S. service member was likely now in North Korean custody.
'We're closely monitoring and investigating the situation,' Austin said, noting he was foremost concerned about the troop's
