The U.S. Army soldier who entered North Korea earlier this week “may not have been thinking clearly,” Army Secretary Christine Wormuth said.
Wormuth was speaking to the Aspen Security Forum when asked about Pvt. Travis King, who was returning to the United States after being released from a South Korean prison for assault when he joined a tour group heading to the heavily guarded demilitarized zone, known as the DMZ, which separates the two Koreas, which are still technically at war after signing an armistice in 1953.
King was with the tour group when he abruptly crossed into the North, which is considered one of the most repressive nations in the world.
“He’s a young soldier, he was dealing with consequences. I imagine he had a lot of negative feelings,” Wormuth told NBC News correspondent Courtney Kube. “He may not have been thinking clearly, frankly, but we just don’t know.”
US SOLDIER SPRINTED IN NORTH KOREA, WITNESS THOUGHT IT WAS A TIKTOK ‘STUNT’
King was heading to Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas to face Army disciplinary charges when he was unable to board his flight and joined the tour group instead. Wormuth said Washington tried to get in touch with Pyongyang through multiple channels, but got no response.
READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP
NORTH KOREA KEEPS COMPLETELY SILENT ABOUT MISSING SOLDIER SUSPECTED OF CROSSING DMZ
Wormuth said she was concerned for King’s safety and well-being because of North Korea’s history of mistreating American citizens, even those who voluntarily defected to communist rule.
“What we want to do is bring this soldier back into our custody. I’m worried about him, frankly,” she said. “It makes me very, very worried that Pvt. King is in the hands of the North Korean authorities. I’m worried about how they might deal with him.”
She noted the case of student Otto Warmbier who was released by the North in 2017 when he was in critical condition.
He died in a hospital six days after returning to the United States. Warmbier was arrested after taking a propaganda poster from the hotel where he was staying and was charged with subversion.