The United States (US) has confirmed that North Korea has responded to a United Nations (UN) Command request for information about US Army Private Travis King.
King crossed into North Korea from South Korea on July 18, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin confirmed last month.
North Korea Responds to UN Over Travis King Request
TOPSHOT - Pedestrians walk under a large video screen showing images of North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un during a news update in Tokyo on October 4, 2022, after North Korea launched a missile early in the day which prompted an evacuation alert when it flew over northeastern Japan.
As per CBS News, North Korea has finally responded to the United Nations' outreach about King, according to the US Defense Department.
North Korea has broken its silence on King, the US soldier who mysteriously found himself in its custody. The US had been engaging with the elusive country, led by Kim Jong Un, through the United Nations.
The Defense Department has confirmed the receipt of a response from North Korea regarding the soldier. However, as Reuters reports, the Pentagon says that Pyongyang merely acknowledged the receipt of the request.
Pentagon spokesperson Brigadier General Patrick Ryder said that North Korea's response was "an acknowledgment" of the UN Command's inquiry. The reply provided no further details about King's whereabouts or condition.
Brig. Gen. Ryder told reporters, "There was the initial passing of the information, and this was essentially an acknowledgment from the DPRK [Democratic People's Republic of Korea] government."
On top of that, the Pentagon press secretary confirmed that North Korea "has responded to United Nations Command." But despite the reply, Ryder admits they still have no "substantial progress" to share.
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US Soldier Travis King's Border Crossing to North Korea
UN Command deputy commander Lieutenant General Andrew Harrison speaks at a press briefing on the past, present and future of the United Nations Command, at the Seoul Foreign Correspondents' Club in Seoul on July 24, 2023. The UN Command has started a conversation with Pyongyang over American soldier Travis King who ran across the border into North Korea last week, the body's deputy commander said on July 24.
The news that North Korea has acknowledged the King's presence comes after weeks of uncertainty about his fate. King crossed into North Korea at the border crossing from South Korea last July. His decision to cross into North Korea is a mystery, and why he did so is unclear.
According to The Hill, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin says the US soldier "willfully and without authorization" crossed the North Korean border. As of this writing, US officials believe that King is now under the custody of DPRK.
The US President Joe Biden's press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stresses that the "primary concern is ascertaining the well-being of this individual." The US has not yet made any public demands for King's release, but the government will likely continue to press North Korea for information about his whereabouts and condition. For now, the elusive country has already acknowledged the information request of the UN Command.
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