The State Department revealed that North Korea is ignoring requests from the U.S. to discuss the status of an American soldier who was detained after crossing the border.

Travis King, the private involved in the situation, reportedly defected to North Korea following legal trouble during his time in South Korea.

Biden Administration: North Korea Ignoring Attempts to Talk About Border-Crossing U.S. Soldier https://t.co/x5BB3xYZkc pic.twitter.com/JPTkn6RtgF

— Tommy Robinson News (@TRobinsonNews) July 20, 2023

The incident

"Recently released from a stint in a South Korean prison, King had received a military escort to Incheon International Airport in the greater Seoul area to board a flight to Texas," Breitbart News reported.

"Instead of getting on the flight, King booked a tour of the Korean border. In the border “peace village” of Panmunjom, surrounded by his tour group, King reportedly began laughing loudly and crossed into North Korea," it added.

More details emerge on U.S. soldier who bolted across border into North Korea https://t.co/RBXD5i1qkV via @nbcnews
Make no deals with NK . Ignore them and let this moron stay there .

— Wilson (@WilsonC57102397) July 19, 2023

The background

"King has been serving in the Army since January 2021, according to U.S. Army spokesman Bryce Dubee. He was a cavalry scout assigned to the 1st Armored Division, The Associated Press reported, and served almost two months in a South Korean prison after declining to pay a fine in an assault investigation," NBC News reported.

"King is the first known American to be detained in North Korea since Bruce Byron Lowrance, who was caught after entering from neighboring China in October 2018 and deported several weeks later. King appears to be the first U.S. soldier to defect to North Korea in more than 50 years," it added.

North Korea has ignored US outreach about American soldier who ran across border https://t.co/P95FwE2OAT pic.twitter.com/NkbC5ovlIn

— New York Post (@nypost) July 20, 2023

The latest

“Yesterday, the Pentagon reached out to counterparts from the Korean People’s Army,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Wednesday. “My understanding is that those communications have not yet been answered.”

“We’re still doing everything we can to try and find out his whereabouts as well [as his] condition and making it clear that we see him safely and quickly returned to the United States and to his family,” National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said.

North Korea has been known for its brutality but the U.S. spokesmen said they were not able to share any details about the American soldier's current condition.

The news also comes as North Korea fired two rockets following U.S. military actions in the region.

The situation with King is likely to continue, with no details released so far in the concerning case.