Suspected identity of US soldiers as "prisoners of war" entering North Korea on their own
According to Reuters on August 4th, several US officials told reporters that although Army Private Travis King was detained in North Korea after crossing the border last month, the United States has not yet listed him as a prisoner of war.
This decision may mean that Travis King will not be protected by the rights of prisoners of war as stipulated in the Geneva Conventions. Given that the US military has promised not to let any soldiers fall behind enemy lines, this decision is very sensitive to the US military.
How to characterize the identity of 23-year-old Travis King is an unresolved issue facing the US military. Travis Kim crossed the heavily guarded border and entered North Korea while visiting the demilitarized zone with a tour group.
Due to the Korean War that ended in a ceasefire agreement rather than a peace treaty between 1950 and 1953, the United States and North Korea were strictly still in a state of war, and as an active soldier, Travis King seemed to be eligible to be listed as a prisoner of war.
But these officials, who requested anonymity, said that factors such as Travis Kim's decision to enter North Korea on his own in plain clothes seemed to disqualify him from obtaining prisoner of war status.
The Pentagon spokesperson declined to comment on Travis King's prisoner of war status, but stated that the Department of Defense's top priority is to bring him back to his home country and is working to achieve this goal through all possible channels.