North Korea: The United Nations (UN) military has begun to talk to officials in Pyongyang about the missing American soldier, Mr. Travis King, who crossed the border into North Korea last week.
“A conversation has commenced with the KPA through the mechanism of the armistice agreement,” Lieutenant General Mr. Andrew Harrison, Deputy Commander of United Nations Command in South Korea, stated.
UN Command is the multinational military force established to support the Republic of Korea during and after the Korean War. It was the first international unified command in history and the first attempt at collective security pursuant to the Charter of the United Nations.
“The primary concern for us is for Private King’s welfare, still subject to investigation,” ” Mr. Harrison said.
“Obviously there is someone’s welfare at stake and clearly we are in a very difficult and complex situation which I don’t want to risk by speculation or going into too much detail about the communications that have existed,” Lieutenant General quoted.
The Deputy Commander noted that, under the armistice agreement, there was a mechanism allowing the UN Command to communicate with the North’s military in the Joint Security Area (JSA). Mr. Harrison commented that he has started the process but cannot give further details because of the “delicate nature of these negotiations.”
The United States does not have formal diplomatic ties with North Korea. Most embassies with a presence in Pyongyang have withdrawn their foreign diplomats since the East Asian country closed its borders at the beginning of the pandemic. North Korea has not commented publicly on Mr. King, as per the statement.
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