ANALYSIS Pyongyang uses Travis King as tool to counter US criticisms of NK human rights issues
A TV screen shows a file image of American soldier Travis King during a news program at Seoul Station, Wednesday. AP-Yonhap
Pyongyang says inhuman treatment in the army triggered U.S. soldier's defection
By Lee Hyo-jin
North Korea's claim that “racial discrimination and unequal American society” drove U.S. soldier Travis King to defect to the North is seen as a message firing back at U.S.-led plans to scale up international scrutiny against Pyongyang's human rights record, analysts said Wednesday.
The North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) disclosed a report on interim findings of an investigation into King, Wednesday, breaking a month-long silence over the American soldier's shocking border-crossing on July 18.
“During the investigation, Travis King confessed that he had decided to come over to the DPRK as he harbored ill feeling against inhuman maltreatment and racial discrimination within the U.S. Army,” the report read. DPRK is the acronym of the Democratic People's Party of Korea, North Korea's official name.
“He also expressed willingness to seek refuge in the DPRK or a third country, saying that he was disillusioned at the unequal American society,” it added.
Referring to King's border crossing as an “illegal intrusion,” the report also detailed how the American soldier “deliberately intruded” onto the North Korean side during a guided tour of the Joint Security Area (JSA) in the inter-Korean border village of Panmunjeom.
Park Won-gon, a professor of North Korean studies at Ewha Womans University, looked at the timing of Pyongyang's first official statement on King's defection, which came just two days ahead of a trilateral summit between South Korea, the United States and Japan.
A North Korean guard post is seen from Imjingak Peace Park on the South Korean side of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, July 20. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk
“The statement is interpreted as a pre-emptive action against the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) meeting as well as the trilateral summit,” he said.
The U.S., which holds the UNSC presidency this month, requested a meeting on North Korean human rights for Thursday. If held, it will be the first such meeting in six years since December 2017.
Pyongyang has already reacted furiously against the U.S.-led move. Hours before releasing its report about King's defection, the KCNA released a statement by Vice Foreign Minister Kim Son-gyong condemning the upcoming UNSC meeting.
“If a certain country has to be dealt at the UNSC over the 'human rights issue,' the U.S. should be the first before anyone else as it is the anti-people empire of evils, totally depraved due to all sorts of social evils,” the statement read.
It also described U.S. society as “fostering racial discrimination, gun-related crimes, child maltreatment and rampant forced labor.”
A joint statement between President Yoon Suk Yeol, U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida following their summit at Camp David on Friday (local time) may also contain messages denouncing North Korea's human rights abuses, Park said, although King's border-crossing issue is unlikely to be on the official agenda.
“As expected, the North Korean regime is beginning to use King as a propaganda tool,” Park commented.
South Korean soldiers stand guard during a media tour at the Joint Security Area (JSA) on the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) in the border village of Panmunjeom in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, March 3. Reuters-Yonhap
The professor said it is yet unclear specifically how Pyongyang will use King as a bargaining chip in its negotiations with Washington, but it did drop some hints through Wednesday's statement.
“For one thing, the North referred to King's border-crossing as an 'illegal intrusion,' meaning that he may face punishment for his illegal actions. But at the same time, it has also opened the possibility of allowing King to seek asylum in a third country,” he said. “These messages are intended for gaining the upper hand in talks with the U.S.”
Rep. Tae Yong-ho of the ruling People Power Party, a defector-turned-lawmaker, said that the KCNA's mention of the American soldier's seeking refugee status in a third country raises hopes for his return.
“It can be interpreted that the North has hinted at the possibility of sending him to a third country upon his desire. If North Korea really wants to keep holding onto the U.S. soldier, it would not have mentioned the option of him seeking asylum at all,” Tae said in a statement.
The U.S. Department of Defense said it cannot verify any claims made by the KCNA on King's motivations for his actions, saying that it is focused on bringing him back home.
King's mother Claudia Gates expressed concerned for her son's safety.
“Ms. Gates is aware of today's 'report' from KCNA. DPRK authorities are responsible for Travis' well-being, and she continues to appeal to them to treat him humanely. She's a mom worried about her son and would be grateful for a phone call from him,” Jonathan Franks, a spokesman for King's family, told The Korea Times in an email.
“She has been in touch with the (U.S.) Army this evening and appreciates the Department of Defense's statement that it remains focused on bringing Travis home.”
Meanwhile, North Korea's first public acknowledgement about King has made previous considerations by U.S. officials of designating him a prisoner of war (POW) less likely, now that Pyongyang has verified that his border crossing was voluntary. King's current status in the military remains absent without leave (AWOL).
If classified as a POW, the soldier would be covered by protections entitled under the Geneva Convention.