SEOUL/WASHINGTON (Reuters) -An American soldier facing disciplinary action fled across the inter-Korean border into North Korea on Tuesday and was believed to be in North Korean custody, U.S. officials said, creating a fresh crisis for Washington in its dealings with the nuclear-armed state. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin expressed concern for the soldier, who the U.S. military in Korea said was on an orientation tour of Joint Security Area between the Koreas and "wilfully and without authorization crossed the Military Demarcation Line into the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK)."
I am curious why that soldier faced disciplinary action in the first place. US soldiers aren’t exactly famous for good ethics, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he committed acts heinous enough to warrant escape.
By the way, wouldn’t the DPRK just send him back?
Actually I can believe that he’s a victim, because the US army tends to protect their actual criminals and prosecute the whistleblowers.
The DPRK should investigate what he did and sentence him according to their laws.
They’ll probably (rightly) suspect it as an espionage attempt and imprison him for six months or so before eventually deporting him. That’s what they’ve done with westerners in the past.
I don’t think this has happened since like the Korean war, so who knows tho
I would hope with an honest to goodness defection they would not deport him.
I hope so too!
I linked to an article elsewhere in this thread – looks like he got in a fight with a Korean civilian and was disorderly/combative with cops when arrested.