An American tourist made an unexpected escape on the border between South and North Korea. The incident occurred on July 18 when a group of travelers were standing outside the Panmunjom border station in the demilitarized zone. Eyewitnesses did not expect a “cinematic” development of events and watched with amazement what was happening. The American agency AP told about the event through the eyes of travelers.
Travelers, including Sarah Leslie and her father from New Zealand, as part of a tour group set off from Seoul (South Korea) to a unique zone called the Demilitarized Zone that separates the two Koreas. The tour included a visit to the Joint Security Area in the village of Panmunjom, which allowed travelers to set foot on North Korean soil inside one of the buildings, albeit under surveillance. Travelers had to present their passports and obtain permission in advance.
Soon, before their eyes, events began to unfold dynamically and unpredictably. The tour was brought to life by Private Travis King, a 23-year-old cavalry scout with the 1st Armored Division who was among a group of 43 tourists who visited the demilitarized zone. He spent almost two months in a South Korean prison for the attack and was released only on July 10. As the publication noted, he should have gone home to Texas (USA), but instead, at the end of the tour, he decided to flee to the most closed country in the world — North Korea. The American was casually dressed and appeared to be an ordinary traveler in jeans and a T-shirt. He bought a DMZ hat at a gift shop, didn’t socialize with the rest of the tour, and kept aloof.
Just as the group had just left the building and were about to take a photo, they saw King running very fast. “At first I assumed his friend was filming him for a stupid TikTok prank. But then I heard one of the soldiers shout, “Get him.” – said an eyewitness of the event. According to her, the command was shouted by an American soldier — one of a group patrolling the area with South Korean troops.
But the soldiers did not have time to react. King ran about 10 meters through a narrow passage between distinctive blue buildings and crossed the border before disappearing. It was all over in seconds. At the same time, the witness of the incident reported that she did not see any people on the North Korean side. “The tour group was previously told that North Koreans have hit rock bottom since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic,” the publication explained.
According to the traveler, after King escaped, the soldiers herded all the tourists into the building and then took them to the information center to testify. “People couldn’t quite believe what happened. Many were shocked. “As soon as we got on the bus and got off, we were all looking at each other,” she recalled, admitting that it was difficult for her to understand what could motivate an American to go to North Korea. — “I just never thought anyone would ever want to do that.”