North Korea/United States

North Korea has decided to expel American soldier Travis King, who was detained when he ran across the border into the isolated communist state in July. King has admitted that he illegally crossed the North Korean border. This is reported by the state news agency, KCNA. “Following the completion of an investigation, the relevant body of the DPRK has decided to expel Travis King, a soldier in the US Army,” it said. No details were provided about when King will be released. North Korea claims that Travis said he sought refuge in North Korea to get away from inhumane treatment and racial discrimination in the U.S. Army and because he was unhappy with inequality in American society. King joined the U.S. Army in January 2021, and he is deployed by the military to South Korea. It was after a short prison stay in South Korea that King was due to return to the United States, where he faced a possible disciplinary case. However, he never boarded the plane. And about 24 hours after leaving the South Korean airport, he sprinted into North Korea when he was in the Common Security Area, which is where the border crossing is. Here he was immediately arrested. /ritzau/Reuters