WASHINGTON: A senior US Army official on Thursday expressed deep concern about the fate of an American soldier held by North Korea.

Private Second Class Travis King was due to return to the United States to face disciplinary consequences earlier this week after serving jail time in South Korea when he left the airport, joined a tour of the border and fled across it.

“It makes me very, very concerned that Private King is in the hands of the North Korean authorities… I worry about how they may treat him,” Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth said at the Aspen Security Forum.

She referenced the case of Otto Warmbier, an American who was held for a year-and-a-half before being released in a coma to the United States and dying six days later.

Wormuth said Washington has sought information about King through UN channels, and that various parts of the government are involved in the effort.

“The Department of Defence, the State Depart­ment, the White House, we’re using UN channels, have been reaching out to (North Korea) to get information about his status and to work with them to try to… bring him back,” she said.

Published in Dawn, July 21st, 2023