Private 2nd Class Travis King, the U.S. soldier who crossed into North Korea this week, had racked up a series of disciplinary infractions this year that may have made him reluctant to return home, documents obtained by The Messenger show.
U.S. Army spokesperson Bryce Dubee told Newsweek earlier this week that King had served as a cavalry scout in the regular Army since January 2021. During this time, he had received several awards, including the National Defense Service Medal, the Korean Defense Service Medal and the Overseas Service Ribbon.
But King, 23, had also been in trouble in recent months.
On September 4, 2022, as shown by a "serious incident report" obtained exclusively by The Messenger, King failed to report for an accountability formation—a muster used to ensure soldiers are present and ready to start their day.
King said he "refused to return to post or America" and was going to remain in the city of Uijeongbu, north of South Korea's capital Seoul. According to The Messenger, King was later found at Camp Bonifas, just south of the border of the demilitarized zone between South and North Korea.
On September 25, King was detained after pushing and punching "a Korean national in the face in Dongducheon City," according to the Army report. He was then arrested by South Korean law enforcement after "an altercation with two Korean nationals," kicking a police vehicle while "resisting apprehension."
Following this latest incident, King was placed in pre-trial confinement from October 8, 2022 to February 24, 2023. He was then released and returned to his unit in Camp Humphreys, where he was forbidden to leave and remained for three months, before being transferred to a South Korean prison following a request by the country's Ministry of Justice.
Between May 4 and July 10, King was at the Cheonan Correctional Facility. On July 17, he was supposed to take a flight back to the U.S., but did not board it. At the time, he was not in custody or escorted.
Instead of heading back to Fort Bliss in Texas, King crossed the border to North Korea, where he's believed to be in custody now. The U.S. has no diplomatic ties with North Korea, and King's fate remains uncertain.
The Biden administration is currently trying to determine King's location and condition, as reported on Friday by the New York Times. U.S. Department of Defense spokesperson John Kirby said that the administration is "doing everything we can" to "see him safely and quickly returned to the United States and to his family."
