Soldier who fled to North Korea likely 'not thinking clearly,' Army chief says

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Shocking take on the situation

DEFENSE

Soldier who fled to North Korea likely ‘not thinking clearly,’ Army chief says

Army Secretary Christine Wormuth also said she fears for Pvt. Travis King’s safety.



“He is a young soldier, he was facing consequences. I imagine he had a lot of negative feelings,” Army Secretary Christine Wormuth told an audience at the Aspen Security Forum. “He may not have been thinking clearly, frankly, but we just don’t know.” | AP

By ALEXANDER WARD

07/20/2023 12:39 PM EDT

ASPEN, Colo. — The American soldier who crossed into North Korea “may not have been thinking clearly,” the Army’s top civilian said Thursday, adding that she’s worried about his safety.

Pvt. Travis King, who was headed back to the United States after spending time in a South Korean prison for assault, opted instead to cross the heavily armed border into repressive North Korea on Tuesday while he was part of a tour group. Washington has failed to make contact with Pyongyang since the incident.

Army Secretary Christine Wormuth refused to ascribe a motivation but hinted that King was likely stressed about his situation.

“He is a young soldier, he was facing consequences. I imagine he had a lot of negative feelings,” she told an audience at the Aspen Security Forum. “He may not have been thinking clearly, frankly, but we just don’t know.”

{snip}

Lara Seligman and Kaitlyn Locke contributed to this report.

[jimfields33]

1. His trouble is he kicked a South Korean cop car.

Ok. Not great. He was going back to America to get some punishment. 30 days restriction maybe? That’s is hardly worth going to North Korea over. Restriction is staying on base. Checking in four designated times a day. No alcohol. Maybe 2 hours extra duty like taking out trash. And that’s if he got anything for kicking the car. Something more is going on.