If you’re a fan of rock, pop, or just anyone trying to make it in the music business, you may want to check out Travis King. Although he hasn’t dropped a release in quite some time, perhaps the Melbourne-based artist will revive his career because his moniker is getting a whole lot of attention. But that King isn’t the Travis King making international headlines. Although it’s still unfolding, the Army Soldier in question can’t be found, but all accounts do point to his defection into North Korea.
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Has Travis King Defected to North Korea? What We Know So Far
A U.S. Soldier, identified as Private 2nd Class Travis King, is in North Korean custody after crossing the Military Demarcation Line during an orientation tour in South Korea. Reports suggest he crossed “willfully and without authorization” after being punished for misconduct and missing his scheduled flight home.
American witnesses on the tour confirmed the incident, and when they realized it wasn’t some sort of a joke, a mix of reactions broke out. As of now, the United Nations Command is working to resolve the situation with the Korean People’s Army.
You will occasionally hear of North Koreans crossing the demilitarized zone (DMZ) to South Korea or Americans being detained while visiting, but to defect the other way is uncommon, yet not unheard of. If you think Travis King is the first to do so, you’d be mistaken.
Pvt. Larry Allen Abshier Did it First
If you think Travis King’s actions are unusual, you’d be correct. However, Travis King isn’t the 1st U.S. Soldier to enter North Korea. That distinction belongs to Pvt. Larry Allen Abshier, who did so in May 1962, after facing being kicked out or court-martialed himself.
Later followed by three other Americans, who lived under harsh conditions, they were forced to study Kim Il Sung’s writings and were featured as evil Americans in propaganda films. Abshier died of a heart attack at age 40 in 1983, and his tombstone listed Pyongyang as his birthplace.
Citizenship was mandatory. It was forced upon the ex-Americans. Had they refused to become a part of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), it was directly stated they would no longer exist the next day.
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Other Notable Incidents in Which American Military Crossed the Korean DMZ
As crazy as Pvt. Larry Abshier’s story is, he wouldn’t be the only defector. Here are some other notable Americans that have left the U.S. for the lifestyle of North Korea. This includes one U.S. troop that may or may not have defected and wasn’t even an American:
Pfc. James Joseph Dresnok
In 1962, Dresnok defected to North Korea out of frustration. Facing personal and military issues, he crossed the border and later became known as the last American defector in North Korea. Dresnok left America in 1962 and retained a 1950s American accent and vocabulary, unaffected by external influences.
He chose to stay in North Korea despite regrets from other defectors and reaffirmed his commitment. While maintaining some independence and individuality, he would fish and ended up marrying a Romanian woman who was forced to stay in Pyongyang. His sons reported his death from a stroke in 2016.
Cpl. Jerry Wayne Parrish
In 1963, at only 19 years of age, Parrish crossed the Korean DMZ while patrolling it, leaving a note behind. Yet, the reason for his defection remains unclear, but reports suggest concerns about job prospects after the Army.
In North Korea, he married a Lebanese woman and had three sons. Conflicting reports exist about his death, but he is believed to have died between 1996 and 1998.
Sgt. Charles Robert Jenkins
There are some odd ways to get out of serving in the U.S. military. Some went to Canada, but in 1965, Jenkins, a 24-year-old U.S. Army Sergeant went to North Korea to avoid Vietnam.
While stationed in South Korea, he walked across the border while drunk on 10 beers to avoid combat duty in the Vietnam War. He later regretted this decision.
The idea was that Jenkins believed he would be returned to the U.S. through a prisoner exchange with the Soviet Union. Not quite. Instead, he spent eight years in North Korea, enduring harsh conditions, beatings, and forced propaganda.
Though the abuse was harsh, Jenkins found love and companionship in his wife Hitomi Soga, a Japanese citizen abducted by North Korea to teach language and culture to spies.
Jenkins and his family were allowed to eventually join Soga in Japan where he pleaded guilty to desertion and aiding the enemy before facing a dishonorable discharge at his court-martial proceedings. He lived in Japan until his death in 2017 at the age of 77.
Pfc. Roy Chung
The story of Pfc. Chung is a bit odd, but then again, all of these Travis King-esque stories are. When he was 22 years old, he joined the U.S. Army, but notably, he was actually a South Korean immigrant and not a citizen of America.
A radio announcement from Pyongyang declared Chung a defector and officials in the U.S. were inclined to believe it. However, Chung’s parents did not. They maintained the belief that he was abducted by North Korea. The truth remains a mystery as he died in or around 2004.
Pvt. Joseph T. White
In August 1982, White defected to North Korea by shooting a border gate lock, making his way around minefields, and calling for help, speaking in Korean.
North Korean soldiers apprehended him, and he later appeared in propaganda videos criticizing the U.S. government. Despite a U.S. military investigation confirming his defection, his parents struggled to accept it.
White sent a letter in 1983, mentioning his work as an English teacher and expressing love for his family but avoiding details about his defection. In 1985, his family received a letter from a friend in North Korea claiming he had drowned while swimming during a picnic.
Odds Are, Travis King Didn’t Know His History
You certainly don’t hear about defectors from the U.S. military hopping over the Korean DMZ every day, so it’s understandable to not fully engage with this part of history. Clearly, King didn’t do any research or use his logic because most of those who choose this route live and die to regret it.
For now, many details are unclear. We don’t know why Travis King went to North Korea or if he was taken; the U.S. government doesn’t even know for sure where he is or if he’s even alive. Hopefully, for the sake of King and his family, a brighter resolution comes out of what has to be one of the biggest mistakes an American can make.
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