How a US soldier rushed into North Korea

US Army Private Travis T. King had finished serving time in detention in South Korea and was being escorted to the airport to fly home and likely face disciplinary action

But he never made it to his plane.

Instead, he went through security alone to his departure gate and then escaped, according to one official.

According to the Korea Times, King told airline personnel that he couldn’t board his aircraft because his passport was missing.

From there, King, 23, joined a civilian tour of the heavily fortified demilitarised zone (DMZ) separating South Korea and the North, where he rushed across the border on Tuesday as American and South Korean guards yelled “Get him!”

So started a peculiar journey that has presented Washington with a new challenge in its dealings with the nuclear-armed state.

Though not labelling King a defector, the US military was scrambling on Wednesday to ascertain his destiny as well as his motivation following what authorities described as a deliberate, unauthorised border crossing that placed an active-duty American soldier in North Korean hands.

While much remains unexplained, investigations from Seoul to Washington, as well as witness testimony, have begun to piece together a picture of King and what happened.

King, who joined the United States Army in January 2021, had previously served as a Cavalry Scout in the Korean Rotational Force, as part of the United States’ decades-long security commitment to South Korea.

Among his honours are the National Defence Service Medal, the Korean Defence Service Medal, and the Overseas Service Ribbon.