WASHINGTON, United States - US soldier Travis King has been freed by North Korea and is 'happy' to be heading home on Wednesday, nearly three months after he ran across the border from the South, US officials said.
WASHINGTON, United States - US soldier Travis King has been freed by North Korea and is"happy" to be heading home on Wednesday, nearly three months after he ran across the border from the South, US officials said.
King crossed the North Korean border to China with the help of Swedish diplomats, where he was handed over to the US ambassador and a senior miliary officer on Wednesday. He then flew out to a US miliary base. But instead of travelling to Fort Bliss for disciplinary hearings, King snuck away, joined a Demilitarized Zone sightseeing trip and slipped over the border.
"We thank the government of Sweden for its diplomatic role... and the government of the People's Republic of China for its assistance in facilitating the transit of Private King," he said. Any disciplinary action including a possible court martial would happen after that, the official added.King's border crossing came with relations between the two Koreas at one of their lowest points ever, with diplomacy stalled and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un calling for increased weapons development, including tactical nuclear warheads.
US State Department spokesman Mathew Miller warned that King's release was a"one-off" and was not a sign of a"breakthrough" in ties with nuclear-armed North Korea.
United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
US soldier 'happy' after being freed by North KoreaUS soldier Travis King has been freed by North Korea and is 'happy' to be heading home on Wednesday, nearly three months after he ran across the border from the South, US officials said.
Read more »
Korea on ‘brink of nuclear war,’ North warns UNUnited Nations, United States - North Korea told the United Nations on Tuesday that the peninsula was at risk of
Read more »
US soldier Travis King in US custody after expulsion from North Korea to ChinaWhile details on Private Travis King's transfer are still scarce, the positive resolution of the King case is noteworthy given how rare diplomatic cooperation is between the United States, North Korea, and China
Read more »
North Korea makes nuclear weapons status part of constitutionNorth Korea's rubber-stamp legislature has enshrined the country's status as a nuclear weapons power in the constitution, state media reported Thursday.
Read more »
North Korea amends constitution on nuclear policy, cites US 'provocations'The amendment comes a year after North Korea officially enshrined in law the right to use preemptive nuclear strikes to protect itself, a move Kim had said would make its nuclear status 'irreversible'
Read more »
North Korea amends constitution to bolster nuclear power status, calls US and allies ‘worst threat’North Korea has amended its constitution to bolster and expand its nuclear force, with leader Kim Jong Un pointing to the growing cooperation between the United States, South Korea and Japan as “the worst actual threat” facing the isolated nation.
Read more »