Pyongyang said Travis King, a soldier in the US Armed Forces, confessed to having crossed the border from South Korea into North Korea due to “inhuman mistreatment and racial discrimination within the US Army”. The information, according to Reuters this Tuesday, was advanced by the state press.
It should be noted that this is the first public acknowledgment of the incident by North Korea.
As had already been advanced by the United States, Pyongyang also concluded that Travis King, 23, crossed the border deliberately and illegally.
“During the investigation, Travis King confessed that he had decided to come to the DPRK [República Popular Democrática da Coreia] because he harbored resentment against inhuman mistreatment and racial discrimination within the US Army,” state news agency KCNA reported.
“He also expressed willingness to seek refuge in the DPRK or a third country, saying he was disillusioned with the unequal American society,” he added.
It is recalled that Travis King crossed the border from South Korea to North Korea on July 18, during a tourist tour of the Korean border village of Panmunjom, located within the 248-kilometre-long Demilitarized Zone, which was created at the end of the Korean War.
On July 24, the deputy head of the UN delegation in South Korea said “talks” had begun with Pyongyang about the American soldier. Until then, North Korea had only informed the UN Command that it had received the request for information about the soldier, however, it had not given any news about him.
US officials have expressed concern for the soldier’s well-being and said North Korea has ignored requests for information about King, including where he is allegedly being held. In addition, they ask for details about the state of health of the military.
Analysts have noted that North Korea often takes weeks or months to provide significant information of this kind in order to leverage influence and increase the urgency of US efforts to secure the release.
According to the AP, North Korea may try to obtain concessions from Washington, such as making King’s release dependent on the reduction of US military activities in South Korea.
Remember here who Travis King is.
Also Read: UN Announces Contacts With North Korea About US Soldier
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Source: https://www.noticiasaominuto.com/mundo/2381129/pyongyang-soldado-atravessou-fronteira-devido-a-maus-tratos-dos-eua
