Talks with North Korea over US soldier Travis King have begun, says UN Command

UN command says its primary concern is King’s welfare

The UN Command and North Korea have initiated talks over the case of US soldier Travis King who sprinted across into the North, said the deputy commander of the US-led command overseeing the Korean war truce.

A US army soldier serving in South Korea, Mr King had rushed into North Korea on 18 July while on a civilian tour of the Demilitarised Zone, located on the border strip that runs between the two Koreas.

UN Command deputy commander lieutenant general Andrew Harrison said the conversation between the multinational command and North Korea’s military started through a mechanism established under the Korean War armistice.

The primary concern for the UN command is private King’s welfare, he said in a briefing.

The private 2nd class national was set to board a plane to return to the US, but he instead darted across the border while on the tour of the border village known as Panmunjom.

He was pictured wearing jeans, a black shirt and a black cap with the letters “DMZ” printed across it, when the incident happened.

The US army said he intentionally crossed the border as he would face disciplinary action upon his return to the US.

Mr King had served nearly two months in detention in South Korea. An investigation is underway to determine if there was prior knowledge of Mr King’s attempt to go to North Korea.

His mother said she was “shocked” and just wanted him to return home.

Expressing deep concerns over the wellbeing of Mr King, his uncle Myron Gates told NBC News that defecting was “out of his character”.

“I’ve never seen him get down like that, ever. Something’s going on. This is not his personality.”

The news comes as North Korea fired several cruise missiles toward its western sea on Saturday, South Korea’s military said, marking the second launch event this week as it likely protested the docking of a nuclear-armed US submarine in South Korea.

North Korea’s state-run propaganda media is yet to comment on Mr King’s whereabouts and the hermit kingdom has not responded to requests from the US to clarify where he is placed, or what his condition is.

Officials in the US have expressed concerns about Mr King’s wellbeing, noting North Korea’s previous rough treatment of some American detainees.

It could be weeks, or even months, before North Korea releases meaningful information about Mr King, analysts said, as the country could drag out his detention to maximise leverage and add urgency to US efforts to secure his release.

Experts have also pointed out that the North may try to use the soldier for propaganda or as a bargaining chip to negotiate political and security concessions from Washington, possibly tying his release in exchange for demanding the US cut back its military activities with South Korea.