On Tuesday, the Pentagon confirmed that a U.S. soldier has been apprehended by North Korea after crossing the demilitarized zone separating the communist nation from South Korea.
The soldier, Private 2nd Class Travis King, was participating in a tour of the Joint Security Area organized by a private excursion company when he unexpectedly made a break for it across the border, officials said.
Despite efforts by the security forces of the United Nations Command, who were accompanying the tour, the soldier managed to elude capture.
According to the Associated Press, King had ‘just been released from a South Korean prison where he’d been held on assault charges and was facing additional military disciplinary actions in the United States.’
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin stated that they are still working to gather all the details surrounding the incident. Currently, the soldier is being held by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).
