Washington: We are working to bring back the American soldier who fled to North Korea

Washington :

We are working to bring back :

the American soldier who fled to North Korea :

Washington reported on :

Wednesday that it was continuing to work to secure

the return of a U.S. soldier who defected

and fled :

across the border to Pyongyang, rejecting all North Korean statements.

White House :

spokeswoman Karen Jean :

Pierre added that it was necessary to pay attention to the sources of :

information published by Pyongyang on Travis King's fate :

saying :

• We call everyone's attention to looking at the source

• this is very important, this information doesn't change anything

• we seek to ensure that King returns to his home country safely.

This followed Pyongyang's first comment that U.S. :

soldier Travis King had crossed into its territory last month :

with North Korea's official news agency reporting that

the "dark-skinned" U.S.

soldier had fled his country's military because of

"racial discrimination"

and was "a grudge" to the U.S. military.

We continue to focus our efforts on securing his safe return to his homeland

by activating all available diplomatic channels to achieve this.

Battle asserted that

• Washington has not had any contact with North Korea

• since last Tuesday's statement

• and that the United States is making efforts

through Sweden's mediation that sponsors U.S. interests in Pyongyang.

King :

an American soldier serving in South Korea

crossed the border into North Korea last month illegally and was arrested there.

According to the United States media :

the soldier was depressed by the death of one of

his nephews at the beginning of the year

as well as :

the fact that he could not afford to live apart from his family

as well as the penalties he faced in his military service.

The mother of :

the American soldier detained in North Korea

after crossing the heavily fortified border recently

said that this risky behaviour was not her son's usual behaviour.

23-year-old soldier Travis King :

stationed with his country's troops in south Korea, was on a tour of the inter-Korean demilitarized zone on Tuesday when he moved away from the group and ran across the border.

"I can't imagine Travis doing anything like that," his mother Claudine Gates said, noting that she had last spoken to her son a few days earlier and wanted to go home.

She added :

"I am very proud of him. I just want him to come home, go back to America. "

King was facing military disciplinary charges while in south Korea :

after serving time in the country's prison for assault.

• He was supposed to return to

• the United States and be escorted

• by military personnel to the airport

• but left past the security checkpoint and skipped his plane.

Instead :

he joined a tour of the Joint Security Zone in the demilitarized zone.

In turn :

the White House said it was working with the Department of Defense

the State Department and the United Nations to resolve the

US military reveals details of :

its soldier across North Korea border :

The spokesman for the US forces in Korea, Colonel Isaac Taylor, said the soldier - identified by the US military as Travis King, a second-class soldier serving in the army since 2021 - had crossed the border "deliberately and without authorization."

The US media quoted :

• an eyewitness who was with Soldier King on

• the same tour that the group visited one of

• the buildings on the site when this man laughed loudly

and ran between the buildings.

• I thought it was a bad joke at first

• but when he didn't come back

• I realized it wasn't a joke

and then everyone's reaction became crazy, he said.

CBS News reported that :

the lower-ranking soldier was transferred to the United States

for disciplinary reasons, but was able to leave the airport and join the tourist group.

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin told reporters that

Washington was "closely monitoring and investigating the situation."