The US State Department has no contact with North Korea regarding the soldier who crossed into North Korea last week. A spokesman for the ministry said earlier reports on the issue between North Korea and the United Nations may be based on a misunderstanding.
Travis King, a 23-year-old American, visited Panmunjom on the demilitarized zone that separates the two Koreas and suddenly crossed into North Korean territory during a tourist trip, where he was arrested. Nothing was heard from him after that.
It is not known why the soldier, who was recently held in a South Korean prison for 2 months, decided to cross the border. According to various US media outlets, including CBS News, the soldier was due to return to the US for disciplinary reasons, but escaped at the airport in Seoul. He ended up in the Demilitarized Zone with a group of tourists.
A U.S. State Department spokesman said Monday that the U.N. embassy in Panmunjom had indeed contacted North Korea the day King crossed the border. “But as far as I understand, the North Koreans have only confirmed that they received the message,” said Matthew Miller, adding that North Korea has not responded to contact attempts.
Panmunjom is the only place where the North and South Korean armies are facing each other. It is extremely rare for an American citizen, let alone a soldier, to cross the North Korean border at this border.
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