Lawmaker says North Korea will ‘exact a price’ for return of Travis King

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House Foreign Affairs Chair Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, believes Travis King was running from disciplinary action when he fled to North Korea last week. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo

July 23 (UPI) — House Foreign Affairs Chair Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, believes Travis King was running from disciplinary action when he fled to North Korea last week.

King, a U.S. soldier, crossed the Korean Demilitarized Zone into North Korea on Tuesday. He had previously been detained in a military facility over an assault case that he faced in Seoul. He was scheduled to be flown to the United States to face discipline.

He holds the rank of private 2nd class in the Army and had been in detention for 47 days.

Speaking to ABC’s Martha Raddatz on Sunday, McCaul said he is concerned about what the cost will be to secure King’s return to the United States.

“That was the wrong place to go. But we see this with Russia, China, Iran — when they take an American, particularly a soldier, captive, they exact a price for that,” he said. “And that’s what I worry about.”

King was with a tour group at the DMZ when he fled to North Korea.

The White House has reached out to North Korea about King. It has also had conversations with the United Nations. The United States does not have a diplomatic relationship with North Korea.

“I’m sure that he’s not being treated very well. I think it was a serious mistake on his part and I hope we can get him back,” McCaul said.

McCaul added that King crossing the border voluntarily may make it more difficult to negotiate his return to the United States. He also questioned if King was defecting, The Hill wrote.