{"id":1978899,"date":"2023-07-20T19:05:16","date_gmt":"2023-07-20T23:05:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/eyewitnesses-recount-moments-leading-up-to-us-soldier-sprinting-into-north-korea\/"},"modified":"2023-07-20T19:06:39","modified_gmt":"2023-07-20T23:06:39","slug":"eyewitnesses-recount-moments-leading-up-to-us-soldier-sprinting-into-north-korea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/eyewitnesses-recount-moments-leading-up-to-us-soldier-sprinting-into-north-korea\/","title":{"rendered":"Eyewitnesses recall events before US soldier&#8217;s sprint into North Korea."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Feyewitnesses-recount-moments-leading-up-to-us-soldier-sprinting-into-north-korea%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1978899&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>Eyewitnesses Recount Moments Leading Up to US Soldier \u200dSprinting Into North Korea<\/h2>\n<p>It \u200cwas an act so unthinkably crazy, at least one\u200d eyewitness \u200cthought it was a social \u200cmedia stunt.<\/p>\n<p>When U.S. Army Pvt. Travis King left a South Korean tour group Tuesday and darted toward North Korean territory, \u2063Sarah Leslie\u200b told <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/north-korea-us-soldier-travis-king-tourist-witness-92f96befe0b2b8d2e7d016d645d21180\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Associated Press<\/a>, \u201cI \u2064assumed \u200cinitially he \u2062had a mate filming\u2062 him\u200d in some kind of really stupid prank or \u200dstunt, like a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/elon-actually-dating-libs-tiktok-creator-epically-returns-doxer-taylor-lorenzs-backspin-serve-amid-feud\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">TikTok<\/a>, the most stupid thing you could do.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>However, it soon became apparent that no one was laughing.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI heard\u200b one of the \u200csoldiers shout, \u2018Get that \u2062guy,&#8217;\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>King, 23, a cavalry scout with the 1st Armored Division, recently had been released from a\u200b <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/ap-south-korea-scrambles-fighter-jets-fires-off-shot-dmz-crossed\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">South Korean<\/a> prison, where he had been locked up for more than a month on an assault \u200ccharge.<\/p>\n<p>A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/world-is-silent-as-palestinian-rioters-torch-josephs-tomb\/\" title=\"World Is Silent as Palestinian Rioters Torch Joseph's Tomb\">military escort<\/a> had delivered him to Incheon International\u2063 Airport near Seoul, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/world\/border-north-korea-travis-king-us-soldier-rcna95034\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">NBC News<\/a> reported, but instead of boarding his flight to face further disciplinary action in the U.S., he joined the group headed for the \u201ctruce village\u201d of Panmunjom 90 minutes away, in the \u2063Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea.<\/p>\n<p>It was not known how King was able to join the group, which Leslie said \u200crequires members to submit their passports and get preapproved permits, \u2064the AP reported.<\/p>\n<p>The young man was traveling alone and\u2062 didn\u2019t appear to interact with anybody on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/slow-motion-video-shows-clueless-spectator-caused-devastating-tour-de-france-moment\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">tour<\/a>, she\u200b told the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/secretary-of-state-michael-pompeo-time-to-put-wokeism-to-sleep\/\" title=\"Secretary of State Michael Pompeo: Time to 'Put Wokeism to Sleep'\">news service<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>She saw him buy a DMZ hat in the gift shop.<\/p>\n<p>As the group was waiting to\u200b depart, Leslie said, she saw King <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/mom-us-soldier-north-korean-custody-speaks-details-emerge-cant-see-travis-anything-like\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">running<\/a> \u201creally fast.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He\u200d quickly disappeared\u2062 from sight after sprinting down a narrow passageway between two buildings,\u2062 she said.<\/p>\n<p>The remaining \u2062tourists were taken into a building and questioned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPeople couldn\u2019t really quite believe what had happened,\u201d \u200dLeslie\u200d said. \u201cQuite a few were really shocked. Once we got on the bus and got out of there we were all kind of staring at\u200d each\u2062 other.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Another woman on the \u200ctour wrote about the incident in a Facebook post, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nknews.org\/2023\/07\/american-crossed-into-north-korea-during-panmunjom-tour-un-command\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">NK \u200bNews<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo our right,\u200c we hear a loud HA-HA-HA and one guy from \u200dOUR GROUP that has been with us all day- runs in between two of the buildings and over to the other side!!\u201d Swede Mikaela Johansson said in the post.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt took\u2064 everybody a second to react and grasp what had actually happened, then we were ordered into\u2063 and through Freedom House and running back to our\u2064 military bus.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/travis-king-us-soldier-north-korea-may-be-nuisance-for-regime\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">CBS News<\/a> quoted former North Korean diplomat Thae Yong-ho, who \u200ddefected to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/north-korea-warns-world-missile-tests-practice-real-strikes-us-south-korean-targets\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">South Korea<\/a>, as saying the incident might have some propaganda potential for dictator Kim\u2062 Jong Un, but previous instances of defections have been a headache for the Hermit Kingdom.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cU.S. soldiers who have crossed\/defected to North Korea are inevitably a nuisance because the cost-effectiveness is low in the long run,\u201d Thae said.<\/p>\n<h3>Should\u2063 the U.S. \u200bleave King in North Korea?<\/h3>\n<div id=\"firefly-poll-container\" class=\"one-half\">\n<div class=\"firefly-poll-question\">Should the U.S. leave King in North Korea?<\/div>\n<div id=\"pollFormBox\" style=\"display: none\">\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Yes<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>No<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"firefly-poll-disclaimer\">\n<p>\t\t\tCompleting this poll entitles\u200d you to The Western Journal news updates free of charge.\u2063 You may opt out at anytime. You also agree \u200cto our\u200b <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/about\/privacy-policy\/\">Privacy Policy<\/a> \u2062 and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/about\/terms-service\/\">Terms of\u2064 Use<\/a>.\n\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"firefly-poll-results\" style=\"display: none\">\n<div id=\"firefly-poll-results-yes\" style=\"width: 100%\">\n<p>\t\t\tYes: 100% (4 Votes)\n\t\t<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"firefly-poll-results-no\" style=\"width: 0%\">\n<p>\t\t\tNo: 0% (0 Votes)\n\t\t<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cA \u200bprofessional security \u200band monitoring team had to be \u200dset up \u2026\u00a0 an interpreter, and a private vehicle, driver, \u200band lodging had to be arranged.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>CBS News speculated on possible ways King could be made useful\u200b to North Korea.\u200d \u201cOne expert suggested he could be useful\u200b as\u2062 an English teacher, or perhaps as a copywriter\u2063 for the English versions of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-wont-lift-iran-sanctions-until-they-stop-uranium-enrichment-still-wants-to-rejoin-deal\/\" title=\"Biden won\u2019t lift Iran sanctions until they stop uranium enrichment, still wants to rejoin deal\">state media<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBack in the 1960s after the \u2062Korean War, some U.S.\u2062 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/eyewitnesses-recount-moments-leading-up-to-us-soldier-sprinting-into-north-korea\/\" title=\"Eyewitnesses recall events before US soldier's sprint into North Korea.\">military defectors ended<\/a> up playing the roles of Ugly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/biden-destroyed-comment-section-posting-capitalist\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Capitalist<\/a> American Villains\u2063 in North Korean movies,\u201d the report\u200c said.<\/p>\n<p>The post <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/eyewitnesses-recount-moments-leading-us-soldier-sprinting-north-korea\/\">Eyewitnesses Recount Moments\u200b Leading Up to US Soldier Sprinting Into North Korea<\/a> appeared first on <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\">The Western \u2062Journal<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It was an unbelievably insane act, mistaken for a social media prank by a witness. Pvt. Travis King abruptly abandoned his South Korean tour group and sprinted towards North Korean territory. Sarah Leslie, an eyewitness, initially thought he was being recorded by a friend.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2022,"featured_media":1978900,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[548],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1978899","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-conservative-news-daily"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1978899","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2022"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1978899"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1978899\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1978900"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1978899"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1978899"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1978899"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}