Photo:Facebook/Travis King

Who Is the U.S. Soldier Who Defected to North Korea: All About Travis King

Facebook/Travis King

Relatives ofthe American soldier who was detained in North Koreaafter crossing into the country from South Korea earlier this week are now struggling to understand what made him run across the border.

Pvt. Travis King is now in North Korean custody after officials say he purposefully ran across the border this week. Speaking to the Associated Press, King’s maternal grandfather, Carl Gates, said, “I can’t see him doing that intentionally if he was in his right mind. Travis is a good guy. He wouldn’t do nothing to hurt nobody. And I can’t see him trying to hurt himself."

King’s uncle, Myron Gates, echoed the confusion, telling the AP: “I don’t understand why he would do that, because it seemed like he was on his way back here to the United States. He was on his way home.”

South Korean and U.S. Army soldiers stand in the border village of Panmunjom in the demilitarized zone between the two Koreas.AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon

South Korean and U.S. Army soldiers, wearing gray uniforms, gather during a rehearsal to mark the first anniversary of a summit between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, at the border village of Panmunjom in the demilitarized zone (DMZ) between the two Koreas in Paju, South Korea, on April 26, 2019

AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon

Various South Korean media outlets and theAssociated Pressreport that King was scheduled to fly back to the U.S. after being imprisoned in South Korea for two months following assault charges stemming from an alleged physical altercation at a nightclub last September.

The AP reports that King was released from the South Korean prison on July 10 and was set to head to the U.S. to face further military disciplinary action (and, potentially, discharge from the Army).

That’s when King left the tour group and ran across the border into North Korea, according to reports.

Speaking toABC News, King’s mother, Claudine Gates, said, “I can’t see Travis doing anything like that,” adding that she had spoken to her son “a few days ago,” at which point he told her he would soon be returning to the U.S. base in Fort Bliss.

King’s grandfather described him to the AP as “a nice, quiet guy,” adding: “He doesn’t bother anybody. He keeps to himself."

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters Tuesday that officials are “very early” in the process of determining what, exactly, happened, and that “there’s a lot that we’re still trying to learn.”

source: people.com