U.S. soldier facing military disciplinary action flees to N Korea while touring border village

Let him stay! No need to waste time negotiating. We also do not need a political celebrity being sent over to get him. He was a criminal fleeing and laughing at the same time. He made his bed, let him lie in it. Let him experience NK labor camps.

He probably never heard of Otto Warmbier.

Join the military to see the world they said, now he fulfilled that dream!

Deserters face the death penalty

Of all the marginal decisions he has probably made in recent times, this one might top them all. Gambatte.

Hope he is ready for a low calorie diet for the rest of his life. I guess if he is obdient Kim might provide him with a skin and bones wife. He will have to survive the initial torture, though.

Just leave him in NK. Don't negotiate anything, his choice, his life.

BordeauxToday  06:44 am JST

Let him stay! No need to waste time negotiating. We also do not need a political celebrity being sent over to get him. He was a criminal fleeing and laughing at the same time. He made his bed, let him lie in it. Let him experience NK labor camps.

He probably never heard of Otto Warmbier.

Pvt. 2nd Class is not a high rank in the US Army and he probably doesn't have much if any security clearance or information that would be of benefit to NK. He would've certainly faced military discipline, possibly even a court-martial (assault is a serious offense in the service, locally and overseas) and while he thinks he 'escapes' all that justice for violating the UCMJ; he's going to find out real quick that the 'asylum' he fled to is even worse.

Talk about jumping out of a frying pan into a fire. He is going to regret this!

Methinks he has a few screws loose.

Poor fellow. Likely poorly educated, making poor choices.

From Slate …

For instance, a 2016 study found that when faced with negative emotion, 18- to 21-year-olds had brain activity in the prefrontal cortices that looked more like that of younger teenagers than that of people over 21. Alexandra Cohen, the lead author of that study and now a neuroscientist at Emory University, said the scientific consensus is that brain development continues into people’s 20s.

https://slate.com/technology/2022/11/brain-development-25-year-old-mature-myth.html

Dennis Rodman will soon be dispatched to solve this situation.

It’s sad when Americans would rather live in NK than USA.

Another “Jenkins” smh…

Recruiter have had hard time meeting their quotas,so standard were lowered to just meet basis military recruitment,you would not know this , because you do not live in America and probably never will know about American,that live their lives in America

Some people just are not meant to be in the military. He may have made his choice to join due to financial issues or something. I wager to bet he is re-thinking his choice to live in the land of Kim.

"What was I thinking?" Mumbles the dude.

If he's a Republican, send in Trump. Otherwise, send Rodman.

What happened to his horse, as he was a cavalry scout? But fun aside, he’s been trained for field reconnaissance, right? I guess they quickly assume a camouflaged spy intrusion and he won’t be happily finding what he might have been searching there. It’s just too obvious, together with that SK prison term, releasing him at airport customs instead of checking that he sits in the plane back to TX, and then the skilled border crossing run. They won’t buy that.

What an idiot! Negotiate but don’t trade anything for him. He’s an embarrassment to his country.

Who knows, the guy could be made a symbol and given the royal treatment. He's obviously not the sharpest tool in the shed, but could have stumbled onto genius.

Fort Bliss, what a joke. Almost as bad as Fort Polk.

The Army has the money and personnel, so a lot of R-TRDs slip through the cracks.

Hope he is ready for a low calorie diet for the rest of his life. I guess if he is obdient Kim might provide him with a skin and bones wife. He will have to survive the initial torture, though.

If he’s lucky, he’ll be a celebrity playing the evil American in propaganda films.

Private 2nd Class Travis King had been held on assault charges and was released on July 10 after serving his time. He was being sent home to Fort Bliss, Texas,

King is a cavalry scout who joined the service in January 2021

2 1/2 years of service and still a Pvt… Fort Bliss… 1st Armored Div… So many indicators of diminished mental capacity.

Should’ve been at least a Specialist or Corporal by now. Something tells me he’s either been busted down in rank a few times, or is a habitual offender who can’t promote.

If he’s lucky, he’ll be a celebrity playing the evil American in propaganda films.

Yeah right .

Can't imagine anyone being lucky running off to North Korea like that.

Out of the frying pan and into the fire

Jenkins was a celebrity and privileged class citizen in NK for doing just that.

When is better run to NK instead to get back to good old US..

LOOOOOL!!!!!...

Poor guy. Just made the worst mistake of his life. Hope he makes it home safely to face the music.

Dude… you were an American soldier who screwed up abroad. You got a slap on the wrist by the host country and we’re getting sent back home where “you may face disciplinary action”

you know that thing that never actually happens. Look at all the lack of actual punishment for the other soldiers stationed in Japan/SK. I mean enjoy your time in NK I guess just because you didn’t want to not get in trouble in America.

No information on “assault charges”. Drunken fighting, young girl?

amazing he could cross the DMZ, I was mildly assaulted for just taking photos there.

sad he went from Japanese prison to NK prison and next, US prison.

more information would be good about why…

Surprise surprise, he’d just finished a 50 day stint in the brig for assault and was taken to the airport to fly home and be booted from the Army.

He never got on the plane.

Enjoy the new digs, kid. You’re where you belong.

My dog, he was probably looking for a quick promotion, and has maybe got to lieutenant colonel already....in the security dept.

Reminds me of Charles Jenkins, the late husband of Hitomi Soga, one of the dozen Japanese abducted by N Korea in the 1970's.

What would Jenkins say to Travis King about the latter's defection to North Korea if he were alive?

DMZ is like emmental cheese and this guy knew that well.

shame for great US army anyway.could not stop even one single man.

I met and spoke with Jenkins on Sado Island. He said his time in the North was mainly boring. A nice old chap but not the brightest spark in the fire. I'm guessing this guy is the same.

@Mr Kipling

I didn’t have the chance to talk to him, but I attended a seminar where he and his wife were guest speakers. Maybe it was his old age, but as you said, he didn’t seem like the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree.

Was reading about what happened to Otto Warmbier. War should have been declared over that.