UPDATE: King is now back in U.S. custody, according to two officials close to the situation. King’s release reportedly involved assistance from Sweden and China, due to the United States having no formal diplomatic relations with North Korea. He will likely enter what’s known as “reintegration”, a process where people who have been held against their will in other countries go through a process involving psychological counseling and additional treatment.
A U.S. soldier with ties to Racine may be headed back to the United States.
State media from North Korea has reported the nation has decided to “expel” U.S. Army Private Travis King, the soldier who crossed through the demilitarized zone from South Korea in August.
North Korea has claimed that King “confessed that he illegally intruded into the territory of the DPRK as he harbored ill feeling against inhuman maltreatment and racial discrimination within the U.S. army and was disillusioned about the unequal U.S. society.” Whether or not these were King’s own words remains to be seen.
King’s exact whereabouts remain unknown as well.
This is a developing story; we’ll provide more details as they become available.
