A Wisconsin U.S. soldier Travis King served in prison in South Korea for 47 days! Now he was detained by the North Korean authorities because he was trying to cross borders! U.S. Army Pvt 2nd Class Travis King is with the 1st Armored Division.
He was serving a sentence in South Korea prison based on the charges of assault when he was alleged to have damaged a South Korean squad car by kicking it! It was on July 10 that he was released to be sent to Fort Bliss, Texas.
King was supposed to face discharge from service after he was charged with additional military discipline once he reached home. He also has charges in South Korea, where he was convicted for allegedly damaging a police car in Seoul in October 2022 and assaulting a 23-year-old individual in February 2023.
The individual did not press charges against King, so the court dismissed the case. Once he was released from prison in South Korea, he was escorted to the airport customs to board a plane.
Yet King went on to join a tour across the border village of Panmunjom, which is situated in a demilitarized zone and heavily fortified. This place separated the north and the south korea while the border runs for about 150 miles.
Considering North Korea is one of the most heavily restricted nations in the world, the question arises, why would Travis King try something like this?
The soldier is among the first in the past five years to be detained by North Korea. The authoritarian regime in North Korea is tightly maintained across the country’s citizens through threats made based on forced hard labor, disappearances, imprisonment, and execution.
At 23, he is a cavalry scout who joined the army in January 2021, as per the reports by USA Today. His family lives in Racine, where he has his grandfather and mother.
His mother, Claudine Gates, requested his safe return, while his maternal grandfather stated that he hoped his grandson could go home and get help!
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