American soldier Travis King back in the US after being expelled from North Korea
Mike Brest
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The U.S. Army soldier who “illegally intruded” into North Korea two months ago has returned to the United States following his expulsion from the autocratic nation.
Pvt. Travis King was expelled from North Korea on Wednesday and landed in San Antonio, Texas, on Thursday morning. He will be taken to Brooke Army Medical Center, where he is expected to receive support in the Post-Isolation Support Activities program. A number of prisoners of war, hostages, and wrongfully detained Americans often go through it during their re-acclimation process.
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King was “very happy to be on his way home” and has been able to speak with his family, a senior administration official told reporters on Wednesday. “We can confirm that Pvt. King was very happy to be on his way home.”
The perspective is notable given that King seemingly crossed from South Korea into North Korea on his own volition. He crossed the border because “he harbored ill feeling against inhuman maltreatment and racial discrimination within the U.S. army and was disillusioned about the unequal U.S. society,” a North Korean state media report said.
Jonathan Franks, a spokesman for King’s mother, Claudine Gates, said in a statement that she “will be forever grateful to the United States Army and all its interagency partners for a job well done,” adding, “For the foreseeable future, the family asks for privacy, and Ms. Gates does not intend to give any interviews.”
He may face legal consequences for his actions, but the administration official said any charges would come after the reintegration process is complete.
“He will be evaluated by some very talented and experienced team that are going to guide him through a reintegration process that will address any medical and emotional concerns and ensure we get him in a good place to reunite with his family. As far as anything after that, again, our focus right now is caring for him and his family. And we’ll work through all those administrative status questions following completion of his reintegration,” the official explained.
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The Biden administration did not have to make any concession to make the deal work, according to the official.
Both the Swedish and Chinese governments played an instrumental role in securing King’s release. King left North Korea through its border with China, where U.S. officials received him.
King was supposed to fly home to the U.S. after serving two months in prison on assault charges and time under U.S. supervision in mid-July, but he didn’t get on the flight, choosing to cross the border instead.