UNC confirms talks with North at JSA over G.I. who fled

The United Nations Command is in talks through an official channel with the North Korean military regarding the U.S. Army private who dashed into the North at the Joint Security Area last week, according to the British deputy commander of the force.

United Nations Command Deputy Commander Lt. Gen. Andrew Harrison delivers a Remembrance Day speech at the United Nations Memorial Cemetery in Busan on Nov. 11, 2022. [YONHAP]

The United Nations Command (UNC) is in talks through an official channel with the North Korean military regarding the U.S. Army private who dashed into the North at the Joint Security Area (JSA) last week, according to British Lt. Gen. Andrew Harrison, the force’s deputy commander who spoke at a media briefing.

The comments by Harrison were reported by Reuters and the Associated Press on Monday.

Earlier, the London-based Sunday Times published an interview with Harrison where he said the UNC made contact with the Korean People’s Army (KPA), the North’s military, regarding Private Second Class Travis King, who dashed across the inter-Korean border at the JSA during a guided tour.

The UNC is responsible for maintaining the armistice that ended the 1950-53 Korean War along the demilitarized zone (DMZ) that divides the Korean Peninsula, including the JSA.

"The conversation has commenced with the KPA through the mechanisms of the Armistice agreement," Harrison said at the media briefing, referring to the “pink phone” hotline, so called after a pink phone on the South Korean side of the JSA that links the UNC with the KPA.

He said the health and well-being of King remains the UNC’s primary concern, but refused to provide more details, saying, “I can't say anything that could prejudice that process.”

In his interview with the Sunday Times, Harrison said, “We don’t know the location of Private King at the moment, but we are in communication with the Korean People’s Army, and we are maintaining, through the joint security area, constant dialogue with the KPA. That link is open and is alive.”

Harrison’s interview with the Sunday Times marked the first confirmation that talks are ongoing with the North over King.

North Korea has publicly maintained silence about King since his unauthorized border crossing.

Harrison said he “remains optimistic” regarding the talks, but also said there was no way to know with certainty how the conversation with the North’s military will play out.

Civilian tours to the JSA have been suspended since King bolted across the border.

A U.S. military report leaked to the online outlet The Messenger on Wednesday included details suggesting King was a flight risk months before he crossed the Military Demarcation Line on Tuesday.

King’s trip to the JSA took place after he was supposed to have arrived in Fort Bliss, Texas, to face disciplinary proceedings regarding three separate incidents that occurred during his tour of duty in Korea, including two altercations involving Koreans.

BY MICHAEL LEE [lee.junhyuk@joongang.co.kr]