U.N. Command Engages in Talks with North Korea Over Return of U.S. Soldier Who Fled Across Border

The United Nations is in talks with North Korea over the American soldier who fled across the heavily militarized border and into the secretive state last week, a top U.N. official said Monday.

Private 2nd Class Travis King, 23, of the U.S. Army, was about to fly back to the United States from South Korea for possible disciplinary action after refusing to pay a fine for allegedly damaging public property. He slipped away from his military escort at the airport last week and managed to join a guided tour to the Joint Security Area, a piece of land between the North and South that’s managed by the U.N.

Andrew Harrison, a British lieutenant general who is the deputy commander at the U.N. Command, refused to say when the conversation started, how many exchanges have taken place and whether the North Koreans responded constructively, citing the sensitivity of the discussions. Despite no public word from the North Koreans about King, the U.N. force that manages negotiations between the two Koreas said it was in talks with the North about the runaway soldier.

“None of us know where this is going to end,” Harrison said during a news conference in Seoul. “I am in life an optimist, and I hope that we will be able to resolve this in a way that is satisfactory to all parties.”

The U.N. Command is responsible for maintaining the armistice between North and South Korea, and is currently in talks with North Korea to ensure the safe return of Private 2nd Class Travis King. No further information is available at this time.