American soldier Travis King

According to a Defense Department official, US Army Private Travis King has returned to American custody after crossing into North Korea, arriving back on United States soil on Thursday. King was flown in on a US military flight and landed at Kelly Field at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston at approximately 1:30 a.m. ET. A CNN camera captured King being escorted off the plane by several individuals who met officials waiting on the ground. They then led King off to another area of the military base, out of sight of the camera.

King's release follows weeks of intense diplomacy between multiple countries, including China, which facilitated King's transfer across the border on Wednesday, and Sweden, which acts as the US protecting power in North Korea. North Korean state media KCNA reported on Wednesday that Pyongyang had decided "to expel" King, who entered their territory in July during a tour of the Joint Security Area (JSA) in the heart of the demilitarized zone between the two Koreas.

US military officials have stated that King, a junior enlisted cavalry scout, "willfully and without authorization" crossed into North Korea in July. King had been released from a detention facility in South Korea just over a week before running across the demarcation line, which appeared to stem from an October 2022 incident in which he allegedly pushed and punched a victim in the face at a club in Seoul, according to court documents.

The day before he crossed into North Korea, King was supposed to board a flight to Texas, where he was to face disciplinary procedures. However, after Army escorts released him at a security checkpoint at Incheon International Airport near Seoul, King left the airport on his own. The next day, he joined a tour of the JSA he had previously booked with a private company.

CNN is unable to verify whether the statements attributed to King are indeed his own. However, when questioned on Wednesday regarding King's desire to return, a US official stated that it had become "abundantly clear" to US diplomats that "Private King was very pleased to be on his way home." The official further noted that King was in "excellent health and high spirits" as he made his way back to the United States.

On Wednesday, the North Koreans handed King over to the US Ambassador to China, Nicholas Burns, in Dandong, China. According to two US officials, a Swedish convoy transported King to the Friendship Bridge, which spans the border between North Korea and China. On the Chinese side of the bridge, Brigadier General Patrick Teague, the US Defense Attaché to China, and Burns met King and took him into US military custody.

State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller reported that King then flew to Shenyang, China, and subsequently to Osan Air Force Base in South Korea before departing for the United States. Earlier this month, the US received word from Sweden that Pyongyang intended to release King.

According to a US official, China's involvement was limited to facilitating King's transfer out of North Korea, and Beijing did not play a mediating role. King is believed to be the first US soldier to cross into North Korea since 1982. The Joint Security Area (JSA), which he had been visiting, is located along the demilitarized zone (DMZ) that has separated North and South Korea for decades and is often described as one of the world's most heavily armed borders.

While a few US soldiers defected to North Korea in the decades following the Korean War, the most recent instances of US nationals being detained in the country have been civilians, sometimes for extended periods as US officials work to secure their release while Pyongyang seeks to extract concessions.

One of the most prominent recent cases is that of Otto Warmbier, an American college student who traveled to North Korea as a tourist in 2016. Following a 17-month detention, he was released to US officials in 2017 and tragically passed away less than a week after his return, having suffered severe brain damage. The US government alleged that he had been subjected to torture while in custody.

The crossing of King's Crossing occurred during a period of heightened tension between North Korea and the United States and its allies.

Pyongyang views the United States as a mortal adversary, and the two nations lack diplomatic relations. Consequently, Sweden serves as the United States' protecting power in North Korea, providing consular protection to American citizens in the country and representing the United States in diplomatic affairs. North Korea's nuclear program has long been a contentious issue, with the United States and South Korea urging Pyongyang for decades to relinquish its nuclear weapons. Tensions escalated in 2017 when North Korea conducted its sixth and most recent nuclear test, but cooled off in 2018 when North Korean leader Kim Jong Un engaged in a series of discussions with then-US President Donald Trump.

North Korea has increased its weapons testing in 2022, launching a record number of missiles, which has continued into this year. In response, the United States, South Korea, and Japan have drawn closer together, pledging greater cooperation and planning new military exercises, much to Pyongyang's chagrin. Experts have cautioned that North Korea may receive assistance with its own nuclear weapons and missile program in return.