No new talks over American runaway Pvt. King between U.N. and North Korea

There have been no new communications between the United Nations and North Korea since Pvt. Travis King first bolted across the border to the secretive state, U.S. officials said.

There have been no new communications between the United Nations and North Korea since Pvt. Travis King first bolted across the border to the secretive state, U.S. officials said Monday, contradicting an earlier statement by the U.N.

"I saw reports about contact between the UN Command and North Korea,” State Department spokesperson Matt Miller told reporters on Monday. “It is my understanding that there has been no new communication since last week, communications that happened in the early days. I think the reports may have resulted from a misinterpretation of the UN command’s original statement."

Pvt. 2nd Class Travis King, 23, was about to fly back to the United States from South Korea for possible disciplinary action after refusing to pay a fine for allegedly damaging public property. He slipped away from the airport in Seoul last Tuesday and managed to join a guided tour to the joint security area, a piece of land between the North and the South that’s managed by the U.N. From there, he sprinted across the border and appeared to be detained by North Korean guards.

Pvt. 2nd Class Travis King.via Carl GatesThough there was no public word from the North Koreans about King, the U.N. force that manages negotiations between the two Koreas appeared to suggest it was in talks with the North about the runaway soldier.

"The primary concern for us is Pvt. King's welfare," said Lt. Gen. Andrew Harrison, a British army officer serving as deputy commander of United Nations Command, known as UNC.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/travis-king-north-korea-american-runaway-united-nations-rcna95885

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