Travis king American soldier

Travis King, the American soldier who fled to North Korea, had been jailed for assault in South Korea prior to crossing the border.

Court documents showed he had been embroiled in fights and hit a police car in Seoul.

had been recently released  The 23-year-old serviceman and was being sent back to the US when he escaped.

He joined a tour of the Joint Security Area and fled into North Korea. Pyongyang has not commented so far.

It remains unclear what his intentions were for crossing the border. he did so "wilfully, of his own volition" and has expressed concern about his well-being.said by US authorties.

Private 2nd Class (PV2) King was reportedly investigated for assault in South Korea in September 2022. According to local media, King was suspected of punching a Korean national in a nightclub in Seoul.

The back door of a police car and screamed  He was fined 5m won (£,3,000; $3,950) for "repeatedly kicking""foul language" at the officers trying to arrest him.

After serving two months in jail on 10 July  he was released   Local reports quoting officials said on assault charges, but did not complex further.

in South Korea, After his release for about a week  he was placed under military observation.

In Incheon he was lead  to the airport , near Seoul, for a flight back to the United States, where he was to face strict  action.

About  board he did not plan. The Korea Times, quoting an airport official, said he arrived at the boarding gate alone as military police officers were not allowed to accompany him all the way to the plane.

He reportedly approached an American Airlines official At the gate,  and claimed his passport had gone missing. An airline employee then escorted him out of the departures area.

After parting ways with his escort, he is reported to have left the terminal to embark on a tour between North and South Korea,  of the Demilitarised Zone, or DMZ,where foreigners can visit via tour companies.

 How King managed to get on one of these tours It is not clear, as it usually takes three days for an individual to be authorised on one of these trips, which are usually closely monitored.

An eyewitness on the same border tour described hearing the soldier laughing loudly before making a run across the border.

The United Nations Command, which operates the DMZ, said it believed the soldier was now in custody of the North. there had been no contact with the soldier and the incident was being investigated by US Forces Korea.said by A senior US commander.

She(King's mother Claudine Gates) told ABC News she could not imagine her son doing such a thing. She said he "had to be freak out".