NKorea Says Travis King Wants Refuge from Mistreatment in US

Travis King. AP file photo
Travis King. AP file photo
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NKorea Says Travis King Wants Refuge from Mistreatment in US

Travis King. AP file photo
Travis King. AP file photo

North Korea concluded that Travis King wants refuge there or in another country because of "inhuman maltreatment and racial discrimination" in the US and the military, state media said on Wednesday, Pyongyang's first public acknowledgement of King's crossing from South Korea on July 18.

A private in the US Army, King dashed into the North while on a civilian tour of the Joint Security Area (JSA) on the heavily fortified border between the two Koreas.

US officials have said they believe King crossed the border intentionally, and have declined so far to classify him as a prisoner of war.

North Korean investigators have also concluded that King crossed deliberately and illegally, with the intent to stay in the North or in a third country, state news agency KCNA said.

"During the investigation, Travis King confessed that he had decided to come over to the DPRK as he harbored ill feeling against inhuman maltreatment and racial discrimination within the US Army," KCNA reported, using the initials of North Korea's official name. "He also expressed his willingness to seek refugee in the DPRK or a third country, saying that he was disillusioned at the unequal American society."

KCNA said King was "kept under control by soldiers of the Korean People's Army" after his crossing and the investigation is still active.

King's uncle, Myron Gates, told ABC News in August that his nephew, who is Black, was experiencing racism during his military deployment, and that after he spent time in a South Korean jail, he did not sound like himself.

US officials have so far said that the North had not provided substantive responses to requests for information on King.

The Pentagon said it could not verify King's comments as reported by KCNA, and remains focused on his safe return. It did not address whether it had heard more details from North Korea.

According to Reuters, the White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

A spokesman for the United Nations Command (UNC), which oversees the border village where King crossed, said he did not have anything to add to previous statements.



France Summons Israeli Ambassador over Diplomatic Incident in Jerusalem

The Palestinian village of Burqa is seen as an Israeli flag is placed in the Jewish West Bank outpost of Homesh, Monday, Jan. 17, 2022. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
The Palestinian village of Burqa is seen as an Israeli flag is placed in the Jewish West Bank outpost of Homesh, Monday, Jan. 17, 2022. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
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France Summons Israeli Ambassador over Diplomatic Incident in Jerusalem

The Palestinian village of Burqa is seen as an Israeli flag is placed in the Jewish West Bank outpost of Homesh, Monday, Jan. 17, 2022. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
The Palestinian village of Burqa is seen as an Israeli flag is placed in the Jewish West Bank outpost of Homesh, Monday, Jan. 17, 2022. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

France's Foreign Ministry summoned Israel's ambassador on Tuesday following an incident involving Israeli security forces during a visit last week by French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot to Jerusalem.

The French ministry condemned the presence of armed Israeli police at the Eléona, a French-owned site on the Mount of Olives, and the brief detention of two French consulate gendarmes with diplomatic status.

Barrot canceled his scheduled visit to the compound. France has demanded measures to prevent such incidents from reoccurring, The AP reported.

Israeli police portrayed the controversy as a misunderstanding, saying two church workers who declined to identify themselves had refused entry to Israeli security guards accompanying Barrot. Police said they held the men for about 20 minutes and released them once they were identified as employees of the French Consulate in Jerusalem, the protector of French religious communities and four holy sites in the city.

Israeli police said all foreign ministers on official visits are assigned Israeli security guards. It said the logistics of Barrot’s visit were worked out beforehand with the French Embassy in Israel.

The diplomatic rift arose amid heightened security concerns for the France-Israel UEFA Nations League match on Thursday in Paris.

French authorities have announced extensive security measures to safeguard the event following violence against Israeli fans in Amsterdam.