https://www.npr.org/2023/07/19/ [login to see] /what-we-know-about-travis-king-the-u-s-soldier-who-crossed-into-north-korea
Officials say Pvt. 2nd Class Travis King has been a calvary scout with the U.S. Army since January 2021.
The 23-year-old had been stationed in South Korea, but had recently been held in a prison there on charges of assault, the AP reported. While it is unclear how long he'd been incarcerated, according to CBS News, King was released to U.S. officials at the military hub in the country about a week ago.
Before bolting into North Korea, King was being escorted to an airport outside of Seoul where he was expected to board a plane bound for Fort Bliss, Texas, to face military disciplinary action.
Officials got him through airport security, but somehow King managed to ditch the escort and make his way out of the terminal and back to the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea. That is where officials said King, who was dressed in civilian clothes, joined a tour of the Korean border village of Panmunjom.