Eerie photo shows US soldier Travis King before dash into North Korea

The US soldier, Private 2nd Class Travis King, was detained in North Korea after sprinting across the border. He was photographed moments before the stunt, enjoying a tour in the ultra-high-security area. Witnesses said he laughed hysterically as he made the mad dash after fleeing his military superiors. It was revealed that King had a history of run-ins with police in South Korea for various offenses. 

Fears grew for King’s welfare as North Korea had not acknowledged his arrest. Unconfirmed reports suggest he ‘defected,’ and his mother expressed disbelief. Court documents reveal past assault allegations, fines, and imprisonment. After being escorted to an airport, King left the terminal and went on the tour. 

The U.S. military was scrambling to establish King’s fate, as his actions caused a new crisis in dealing with the nuclear-armed state. US officials said on Tuesday that King crossed ‘willfully and without authorization,’ and his motive remains unclear. The tourist who witnessed King’s crossing and took the photo, Sarah Leslie (pictured above) from New Zealand, initially believed it was a stunt ‘for TikTok.’ Leslie and her father were part of a tourist group visiting the Demilitarized Zone that divides South and North Korea. 

King was among a tour group of 43 tourists visiting the Joint Security Area in Panmunjom. Witness Sarah Leslie initially thought he was doing a prank or stunt, but he ran across the border, disappearing within seconds after an American soldier shouted to stop him. But the soldiers didn’t have time to respond. She said that after running about 10 meters (30 feet) down a narrow passageway between the distinctive blue buildings, King was over the border and then disappeared from sight. It was all over in a few seconds.

Leslie mentioned she didn’t see anyone on the North Korean side due to their lying low during the COVID-19 pandemic. After King ran, soldiers hurried the tourists into a building and took statements at an information center. Some tourists, including Leslie’s father, hadn’t witnessed the incident, but a soldier explained it to them. Leslie described the group’s disbelief and shock after the events. King’s mother, Claudine Gates, expressed pride in her son but wants him to return to America, saying she can’t believe he would do something like that. 

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