US Army worries how North Korea will treat detained soldier
The head of the US Army expressed deep concern for Private Travis King on Thursday and said Washington was fully mobilized in its efforts to reach out to Pyongyang, including by using United Nations communications channels.
Army Secretary Christine Wormuth said it was still unclear why King ran across the border into North Korea but acknowledged that he was likely concerned about facing further disciplinary action from the Army upon his return home to the United States. She said there was no information to suggest he was a North Korea sympathizer.
“I worry about him, frankly,” Wormuth told the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado, citing the case of Otto Warmbier, an American college student who died in 2017 shortly after being released by North Korea. “I worry about how they may treat him. So, (we) want to get him back.”