The 23-year-old Army private who intentionally crossed into North Korea on Tuesday had been grieving the loss of his young cousin, struggling with the distance from his home and acting differently from him when he was previously arrested in South Korea, where was parked. his family said of him Wednesday.
His family expressed deep concern Wednesday that Pvt. Travis King, 2nd Class, who fled at full speed from a tour group visiting the Joint Security Area in the truce village known as Panmunjom, crossed the border on Tuesday. and ended up in North Korean custody.
“It’s out of character,” King’s uncle, Myron Gates, said. “I have never seen him go down like this, never. Something is happening. This is not the personality of him ”.
In an interview Wednesday at his home in Kenosha, Wisconsin, Myron Gates and King’s grandfather, Carl Gates, described the young soldier as a Bible reader who enjoyed quiet time alone.
That characterization was different from the young private, who, according to The Associated Press, served nearly two months in a South Korean prison on assault charges. Before being detained by North Korean soldiers, King had escaped from Incheon International Airport on the outskirts of the capital Seoul. He had been preparing to fly home for possible further disciplinary action after his incarceration.
The military escorted him to the airport, but did not escort him from security to the airport gate, according to AP. His motive for crossing into North Korea remains unknown.
But another uncle, Carl Gates, said King, who graduated from Park High School in Racine in 2020, had been in a negative state of mind since his cousin died and acted out as a result. The cousin, King’Nazir Gates, 6, who had a rare and intractable genetic disorderhe died in February, Carl Gates said.
“He’s still grieving, and that had a lot to do with what he did,” King’s uncle said.
Carl Gates said he was a father figure to King and one of the last people to speak to him before he crossed the border illegally. He declined to comment fully on his niece’s actions until King’s mother discusses the situation, but said King struggled being so far from home.
“Travis has a lot on his mind and we are worried about him,” he added. “Now we don’t know where he is, we don’t know what they’re doing to him, and we may never see him again.”
King’s mother, Claudia Gates, did not respond to requests for comment. When she was approached outside her Racine home on Wednesday, she told Milwaukee’s WISN-TV that her biggest concern is getting her son home.
“I just want my son back. Take my son home. Take my son home and pray that he comes back,” he said.
That could take some time.
Now in North Korean custody, King, who enlisted in the Army in 2021, crossed the heavily fortified border “deliberately and without authorization,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said. told reporters on Tuesday. US officials said they are working to free him, although it is unclear what dialogue they have had with North Korea.
Although King’s reason for crossing and his state of mind when he left the airport are unknown, there are some certainties afterward, said Victor Cha, senior vice president for Asia and president of Korea at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. .
“This is technically a violation of the armistice, so there would be working-level negotiations regarding that, because it is an unauthorized crossing,” Cha said. He added that “it also gets political right away with North Korea, because they’re probably going to put this guy on trial, especially because he’s a soldier. There could be some sort of forced apology or defection claim, but that could take weeks or months.”
“I’m sure they’re questioning him and finding out how they want to use this,” Cha added.
Witnesses in the tour group King joined before crossing the border said the timing was alarming and caused some to worry it could lead to some kind of attack.
Sarah Leslie, a New Zealander who was part of the group, said she initially thought it was some kind of stunt pulled by the TikTok celebrity. Although the soldiers gave chase, she said, “he was really flying, and I don’t think they had much hope of stopping him.”
The tour members were ordered into one of the nearby buildings before finally being put back on their bus and taken out of the Joint Security Area. The timing was terrifying, he said, because he was afraid someone might start shooting.
“During the tour, they discussed a number of incidents that had occurred at the border and in the DMZ, some of which involved shooting or worse by North Koreans,” Leslie said, referring to the Demilitarized Zone that divides the Koreas. . “So that was something that went through my mind. There’s a guy dressed in black running straight for the North Korean side of the border. That is a possibility.
Cha, who was one of President George W. Bush’s top advisers on North Korea affairs, said that anything that happens from here could benefit North Korea and be used in its propaganda.
He said a visit from a current or former high-ranking US official would most likely be required to secure King’s release. In 2018, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was able to secure the release of three Americans when he traveled to Pyongyang. Former President Jimmy Carter was able to win back Aijalon Mahli Gomes in 2010. And a visit from former President Bill Clinton in 2009 secured the release of Euna Lee and Laura Ling.
Otto Warmbier, a University of Virginia student who was detained in North Korea for 17 months, was released in 2017. He was returned unconscious to the US and later died.
His father, Fred Warmbier, said Wednesday that King’s situation was “a gift” to the Kim Jong Un regime. But he said it would be wrong to criticize King for his actions, adding that it should be a priority for the government to ensure his speedy return to the US.
“Regardless of the circumstances or situation, this young man deserves the benefit of the doubt,” he said.
It is unknown how those negotiations will progress. The United States had increased its presence in the region to push back against North Korea’s missile tests and China’s growing influence. The USS Kentucky arrived in Busan, South Korea, on Tuesday. It was the first time a US nuclear ballistic missile submarine had visited the Korean Peninsula in 40 years, according to the US Strategic Command.
Cha said it would most likely put the Biden administration in a temporary bind as the media and policymakers become more concerned with this moment, rather than the deterrence talks the US had focused on. US and regional allies.
However, it could also create an opportunity, because North Korea has not responded to any of the Biden administration’s efforts to speak out, Cha said.
“If there is contact on a more political level, then we might want to say: ‘Let’s talk about other things too, not just this issue,’” he added.
