DPRK to expel US soldier over illegal border crossing

SEOUL - The Democratic People's Republic of Korea has decided to expel US soldier Travis King over an illegal crossing into the country in July, the official Korean Central News Agency said Wednesday, without specifying a destination.

The US soldier has confessed he illegally intruded into the country as he harbored ill feelings toward inhuman maltreatment and racial discrimination within the US army and was disillusioned about the inequality of US society, said KCNA, citing an investigation by DPRK authorities.

On July 18, the army private based in South Korea illegally intruded into the DPRK after blending in with tourists to the Joint Security Area of Panmunjom, a demilitarized zone on the Korean peninsula, KCNA said in a previous report.

According to the report, King was subsequently taken into custody and expressed his willingness to seek refuge in the DPRK or a third country.