The White House has reached out to North Korea to bring home the U.S. soldier who was seen bolting across the military demarcation line Tuesday, as details began to emerge about the possible defector.

Olivia Dalton, the principal deputy press secretary, said during a press gaggle onboard Air Force One that White House officials remain in close contact with Defense Department, State Department and the United Nations — as well as officials in Sweden and South Korea.

"I can tell you: This morning, we've now reached out through multiple channels to the [Korean People's Army] to try to ascertain that information and get to — get closer to an answer," she said. "We're still looking for more information about what has exactly occurred here at the moment."

Dalton added that the goal of the United States is to find him and get him home as quickly as possible.

The U.S. Army has confirmed that 23-year-old Travis T. King joined the military in January 2021 and went on to become a cavalry scout assigned to First Brigade Combat Team, First Armored Division. He held the rank of private second class.

King had been held in South Korea on assault charges and was released on July 10, the CBC reported. Legal documents obtained by NBC News show he caused hundreds of dollars in damage to a police car and shouted profanities about Koreans and the Korean army.

He was being sent home Monday to Fort Bliss in Texas, where he likely would have been discharged from service and faced additional military disciplinary actions. He had been dropped off at the airport and escorted as far as customs but ultimately left the airport instead of getting on his plane home.

Christine Wormuth, the U.S. Secretary of the Army, said Wednesday while speaking at the Aspen Security Forum that she is not sure whether she would consider King as having gone AWOL or is a deserter.

"He was going to come back to the United States and face the consequences in the Army," she said. "I'm sure that he was grappling with that. We obviously don't know exactly what was in his mind."

Wormuth added, "I worry about how they may treat him, so want to get him back."

US fears mistreatment of American soldier held by N.Korea
Washington (AFP) July 20, 2023 –

The United States fears an American soldier held by North Korea may be mistreated by Pyongyang, which has yet to respond to inquiries about his fate, officials said Thursday.

Private Second Class Travis King was due to return to the United States to face disciplinary consequences after serving jail time in South Korea, but instead left the airport, joined a tour of the border and fled across it.

The US Army has launched an investigation into the incident, the Pentagon said, but officials have made clear that their first priority is securing the soldier's release.

"It makes me very, very concerned that Private King is in the hands of the North Korean authorities… I worry about how they may treat him," Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth said at the Aspen Security Forum.

She referenced the case of Otto Warmbier, an American who was held for a year-and-a-half before being released in a coma to the United States and dying six days later.

State Department spokesman Matt Miller also cited Pyongyang's history of mistreating detainees.

"We would always have concern given the treatment by North Koreans of past detained individuals and that's one of the reasons why we are reaching out to ask for more information about his well being," Miller said.

"The case continues to be an extremely high priority for the department. Our diplomatic efforts are ongoing," he said.

– Not 'thinking clearly' –

Wormuth said Washington has sought information about King through UN channels, and that various parts of the government are involved in the effort.

"The Department of Defense, the State Department, the White House, we're using UN channels, have been reaching out to (North Korea) to get information about his status and to work with them to try to… bring him back," she said.

Wormuth said the soldier "would have faced additional consequences" had he returned to the United States as planned, though it was unclear if jail time was on the table.

He "had assaulted an individual in South Korea and had been in custody of the South Korean government and was going to come back to the United States and face the consequences in the Army. And I'm sure that he was grappling with that," she said.

"He may not have been thinking clearly, frankly, but we just don't know."

North and South Korea remain technically at war since the 1950-1953 Korean War ended with an armistice rather than a peace treaty, with a Demilitarized Zone running along their border.

King was on a tour of the Joint Security Area — where soldiers from North and South Korea face off — when he crossed the border.

Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said King was escorted up to airport security and that "I don't think anyone anticipated that he was going to leave the airport."

US Army counterintelligence is leading an investigation into the incident, which will determine whether or not he is a defector, she said, noting that his current status is absent without leave, or AWOL.

But "our biggest concern about Private King is that we want to bring him home, and we are doing whatever we can… to find a way," Singh said.