North Korea Says It Will Deport US Soldier Who Illegally Crossed Border

North Korea made the decision after conducting an investigation into Pvt. Travis King’s border crossing in July.

A group of tourists stand near a border station at Panmunjom in the Demilitarized Zone in Paju, South Korea, on July 18, 2023. Sarah Jane Leslie/AP Photo

North Korea has announced that it will deport a U.S. soldier who dashed across the heavily armed Korean border in July, the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Sept. 27.

The soldier, identified as 23-year-old Pvt. Travis King, crossed the border into North Korea while on a civilian tour of the Joint Security Area in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas on July 18.