US soldier's 'defection' to North Korea 'could not be worse', expert says
The possible defection of a US soldier places the Biden administration under "immense pressure" amid tensions with North Korea, an expert has said.
Travis King, 23, is reported to have crossed the border into North Korea earlier today. It has not yet been confirmed as a defection, but Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin confirmed the crossing was deliberate and that he was concerned at the situation.
Dr Edward Howell, a Korean peninsula expert at the University of Oxford, said the "context of the US soldier’s detention could not be worse."
It comes as the US demonstrated a show of force by deploying a nuclear-armed submarine to South Korea first time in four decades.
The USS Kentucky is an Ohio-class submarine which can twenty-four Trident II submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs).
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South Korea Defence Minister Lee Jong-Sup said the submarine was there for "extended deterrence," but these commitments have been roundly rejected by communist North Korea.
Leader Kim Jong Un's powerful sister and close adviser Kim Yo Jong said on Monday that US deterrence will make North Korea “go farther away from the negotiating table."
“(North Korea) is ready for resolutely countering any acts of violating its sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Kim Yo Jong said. "The US should stop its foolish act of provoking (North Korea) even by imperilling its security.”
Rogue state North Korea continues to try and further its nuclear ambitions (KCNA VIA KNS/AFP via Getty Image)Relations, Dr Howell said, are at a "nadir" while "Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile capabilities are accelerating."
Alluding to developments this week, Dr Howell said: "Pyongyang’s hostility towards the US, therefore, is anything but abating. The soldier’s defection places the Biden administration under immense pressure, as Biden has sought to strengthen his alliance with South Korea (and vice versa).
"Crucially, the Kim regime now has leverage: firstly, to make North Korea a priority item for the Biden administration; secondly, and relatedly, for Kim to try and gain some of his demands met, not least recognition as a de facto nuclear state."
Details on Mr King's possible defection are currently scarce. Secretary Austin said: "One of our service members who was on a tour wilfully and without authorisation crossed the demarcation line. He is in custody.
"We are closely monitoring the situation and working to notify the soldier's next of kin. I'm absolutely foremost concerned about the welfare of our troop."
The soldier's reported status as being in the custody of North Korea makes things tricky for the Biden administration.
President Biden reaffirmed countering North Korean 'aggression' at a summit with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in April (Pool/ABACA/REX/Shutterstock)"The Biden administration is placed in a difficult situation, especially given how Biden has consistently ruled out presidential-level dialogue with the North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un," Dr Howell explained.
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King, it is reported, was due to fly home to the US because he had been held in a South Korean prison for over a month on assault charges. He was also facing additional military punishment when he returned home.
He was not in custody and was therefore not escorted to the airport where he was due to board a plane to fly home to Fort Bliss, Texas.
King is then reported to have joined a tour of the Korean border village of Panmunjom, the area of land between North and South Korea, where
The US has placed a travel ban on its citizens visiting the country and the diplomatic tensions with North Korea may mean potential negotiations for the soldier's release may be a non-starter to begin with.
Regardless, the welfare of an American citizen could come under scrutiny after as North Korea maintains tight controls on entry and has been known to punish those who illegally cross the border from South Korea into its territory
College student Otto Warmbier was detained at Pyongyang International Airport in 2016.
North Korea claimed Warmbier had stolen a propaganda poster and sentenced him to 15 years of hard labour. He was later left in a vegetative state before he was flown home in 2017. He died shortly after aged 22
The rogue state denies accusations Warmbier was tortured and says it is the main victim in the incident.
Howell added: "The role of the US Special Representative for North Korea, veteran diplomat Sung Kim, could be important in negotiating the US soldier’s release.
"What North Korea would ‘want’ for his release, however, is the million-dollar question. In the short-term, we are unlikely to see any changes on North Korea policy in terms of sanctions easing or, for instance, changes in US-South Korean military exercises. Yet, these are early days."
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