On Wednesday, North Korean media reported that a fugitive US soldier had sought asylum because of “inhumane treatment and racial discrimination in the US”.
Travis King served in the US Army in South Korea. On July 18, an American crossed the border into North Korea. On August 3, Pyongyang confirmed that King was in North Korean hands. Pyongyang issued another statement on its case on Wednesday. North Korean television reported that an American sought asylum in North Korea or another country because of “inhumane treatment and racial discrimination in the US” (King is black).
The day after Pyongyang announced that King was in their hands, US authorities announced that the fugitive did not have the rights of a prisoner of war. According to Washington, King voluntarily crossed the border between the two Koreas.
Travis King asks for asylum
In a statement Wednesday, Korea’s Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that Travis King confessed to illegally crossing the border into the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea during the investigation. He wanted to stay in it or in another country.
“During the investigation, Travis King admitted that he decided to come to the DPRK because he harbored a grudge against the inhumane treatment and racial discrimination in the US military,” KCNA reports. The statement added that King “also expressed his desire to seek asylum in the DPRK or in a third country, and said he was disappointed in the unequal American society.”
“The mention of King’s willingness to seek refuge in North Korea or a third country shows that it’s still unclear where he wants to go,” said Yang Moo-jin, a professor of North Korean studies at the University of Seoul, to Reuters. Former North Korean diplomat Tae Yong-ho said describing King as an “illegal intruder” and stating that he considers a third country an asylum seeker may suggest Pyongyang is unwilling to arrest the US fugitive.
Not the first escape
Travis King is the first American soldier to defect to North Korea this century. Before him, the last US soldier to do so was Joseph T. White in 1982. The most famous US deserters are Larry Allen Abshier, James Joseph Dresnok, Jerry Wayne Parrish and Charles Robert Jenkins who defected to North Korea in 1962-1965.
In the context of King’s alleged asylum application in the DPRK “because of racism”, it is worth noting that Pyongyang has made arrangements for the four US soldiers to find a wife. Four foreign women were kidnapped for this occasion. In this way, Americans were prevented from getting involved with Korean women.
Source: Do Rzeczy
Roy Brown is a renowned economist and author at The Nation View. He has a deep understanding of the global economy and its intricacies. He writes about a wide range of economic topics, including monetary policy, fiscal policy, international trade, and labor markets.
