Seoul, South Korea
The White House, on Wednesday (Sept 27), thanked Beijing for allowing detained US soldier Travis King to leave North Korea through Chinese territory.
"We thank... the government of the People's Republic of China for its assistance in facilitating the transit of Private King," National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said in a statement.
King had left Chinese airspace and was on his way to a US military base, news agency AFP reported citing a senior administration official.
Earlier, a US official confirmed that King, who was detained by North Korea over 'illegally' crossing the border from the South in the month of July, was in American custody.
"I can immediately confirm that Private Travis King is in US custody," a senior administration official said on condition of anonymity.
Pyongyang's KCNA state news agency said King had been expelled after admitting to entering North Korea illegally as he was "disillusioned about unequal U.S. society."
Last month, Pyongyang confirmed it was holding the US soldier, saying King had defected to North Korea to escape "mistreatment and racial discrimination in the US Army".
However, after completing its probe, North Korea decided "to expel Travis King, a soldier of the US Army who illegally intruded into the territory of the DPRK, under the law of the Republic", said the Korean Central News Agency.
"King confessed that he illegally intruded into the territory of the DPRK as he harboured ill feeling against inhuman maltreatment and racial discrimination within the US army and was disillusioned about the unequal US society," KCNA said.
It further added that King would be expelled under the country's law but did not specify the time, process or location of his release.
Twenty-three-year-old King had been in the custody of South Korean authorities after pleading guilty to an assault incident and the destruction of public property.
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After serving time there, he was supposed to return to Fort Bliss, Texas, where he was expected to face military disciplinary measures for his actions. However, he managed to evade this return by joining a tourist excursion to the Demilitarised Zone where he slipped across the border on July 18.
Who is King?
Twenty-three-year-old King, who enlisted in the US Army in January 2021, had been assigned to the Korean Rotational Force as a Cavalry Scout as part of the long-standing US security commitment to South Korea, as per news agency Reuters.
However, his time in this post was reportedly marked by legal difficulties. King faced two separate allegations of assault while stationed in South Korea and had pleaded guilty to one assault incident and the destruction of public property. This, as per the report, happened during a "profanity-laced tirade" against Koreans, wherein he damaged a police vehicle.
This incident led to his detention in South Korea. After serving time there, he was supposed to return to Fort Bliss, Texas, where he was expected to face military disciplinary measures for his actions.
(With inputs from agencies)
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