Who Is Travis King? All About the US Army Private Who Fled to North Korea

Private Travis King, the U.S. soldier who crossed over the North Korean border in July, is now in American custody, after being "expelled" from North Korea. 

King, 23, was transferred to China after he sneaked away from a tour group in the border town of Panmunjom, American officials confirmed on Wednesday. 

This followed an earlier announcement from North Korean officials who said that they had “decided to expel” the soldier, who faced legal troubles while stationed in South Korea.

Who is Travis King? 

Travis King served as a cavalry scout after joining the U.S. Army in 2021. Prior to crossing the border, King was one of around 28,000 American troops stationed in South Korea. 

He spent 48 days in a South Korean prison after he failed to pay a fine associated with an assault case brought against him. 

In U.S. military documents, King was described as “an embarrassment to the United States.” 

Where is Travis King from?

King is originally from Racine, Wisconsin, where he attended Washington Park High School. He is believed to be the first American soldier to enter North Korea since 1982. 

How did Travis King end up in North Korea? 

Following his release from the South Korean prison, King was supposed to be transferred to Fort Bliss, Texas, where he was expected to face disciplinary action. He was escorted through airport security in South Korea before he slipped away and reentered the Demilitarized Zone. 

Dressed in civilian clothes, King joined a 43-person tour group in the village of Panmunjom. Another person on the tour, describing the scene, said of King, “this man gives out a loud ‘ha ha ha’ and just runs in between some buildings.” 

“I thought it was a bad joke at first, but when he didn’t come back, I realized it wasn’t a joke, and then everybody reacted and things got crazy,” the witness said. 

What happened to King in North Korea? 

Shortly after entering the country, King was taken into North Korean custody. A state media agency said that King had “ill feeling against inhuman maltreatment and racial discrimination” and “was disillusioned at the unequal American society, he expressed his will to seek political asylum.” 

North Korea has a history of using inequality in the United States as a way to deflect criticism regarding its own human rights record. 

King was not declared a prisoner of war, in spite of the fact that the U.S. and North Korea are technically at war with each other.  

King spent 71 days in North Korean custody before his release on Wednesday. His release was secured following “intense diplomacy” that officials said involved China and in particular Sweden, which helps represent U.S. interests in North Korea. 

Why did the North Koreans release King?

Prior to releasing King, North Korean officials announced that they had "decided to expel" the American serviceman. 

Technically, the decision meant that King was deported from the county – brought initially to China and then turned over to U.S. custody. 

"The relevant agency of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea decided to deport Travis King, an American soldier who illegally entered the territory of the Republic, in accordance with the laws of the Republic," Pyongyang's Korean Central News Agency reported earlier on Wednesday. 

The reasons for the timing remain unclear; in the past other Americans have been kept in North Korea much longer. Some officials have suggested that he wasn’t valuable to North Korea because he didn’t have access to information and provided little leverage, according to the Associated Press. 

What will happen to King now?

King is expected to arrive in Texas, where he will be taken to Brooke Army Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston. 

Senior officials said that King was “in good health and good spirits” after being taken into American custody. 

"Private King was very happy to be on his way home. That has been quite clear as we have resumed our contact with him, and he is very much looking forward to being reunited with his family. That is the sentiment that is pervading all else right now," said an official, according to ABC News. 

King could face time in military jail or a dishonorable discharge for his flight across the North Korean border.