Soldier Who Ran Into North Korea Sent ‘Unusual’ Messages In Months Before Disappearance, Family Representative Says

Soldier Who Ran Into North Korea Sent ‘Unusual’ Messages In Months Before Disappearance, Family Representative Says

Micaela Burrow on August 7, 2023

• Pvt. Travis King sent strange messages to his family while stationed in North Korea, including music videos and texts indicating he was struggling with experiencing racism, a family advocate told the Daily Caller News Foundation.
• Songs included “Slang That Iron” by YNW Melley, which contains racial epithets and portrays a scenario of carrying out a mass shooting.
• “Could somebody please call on the phone so that this mother can have her questions answered, you know, to the best of the Army’s ability?” Jonathan Franks, who is consulting for his family, told the DCNF.

The private who ran into North Korea sent his family “unusual” text messages and music videos that caused them to suspect he struggled with experiencing racism, but did not elaborate, a representative for the family said.

Private 2nd Class Travis King was released from a South Korean jail on July 10 after spending 48 days in prison for an October incident where he resisted law enforcement, damaged public property and shouted vulgarities about South Korea and the Korean military, according to NBC News and other media reports, citing government officials and legal documents. Sometime between March 2023 and his disappearance, the 23-year-old soldier sent messages to various family members that indicated he wrestled with experiencing racism, Jonathan Franks, who is consulting for the family, told the Daily Caller News Foundation.

“The messages are out of character, and at times, bizarre. Yes, people were very much wondering whether or not Travis actually wrote those,” Jonathan Franks, who advocates for Americans detained abroad, told the DCNF.

King also sent music videos as a means of communication, Franks said. (RELATED: ‘Put In The Effort’: Families Call On Biden To Focus On ‘Non-Famous’ Hostages Held Abroad)

Songs included “My Name Is” by artist Eminem and “Slang That Iron” by YNW Melley, which contains racial epithets and portrays a scenario of carrying out a mass shooting, according to Franks. He declined to describe a more explicit text referencing King’s problems with racism and said the records of messages he retained from a visit with the family were undated.

U.S. officials said he was slated to fly home to Fort Bliss for administrative separation when he exited the Seoul airports and joined a tour of the Joint Security Area dividing the two countries on July 18. From there, he dashed across the border where witnesses saw him swept into a North Korean guard vehicle and he has not been heard from since.

King had a history of run-ins with law enforcement in South Korea while serving as a Cavalry scout with the Korean Rotational Force.

On Sept. 25 he assaulted a South Korean national but did not face charges, NBC News reported.

In October, King was involved in another altercation and resisted when police apprehended him, repeatedly kicking a police patrol car and receiving a $4,000 fine, Reuters reported. He pleaded guilty to one assault charge and to damaging public property.

Instead of paying a fine, he completed a sentence of hard labor at a correctional facility for foreigners and U.S. military members in Cheochen from May 24 to July 10, according to Reuters. After that, he was confined to a U.S. base for a week.

King’s uncle previously told ABC News the private’s mental health appeared to deteriorate when they last communicated.

“I was like, ‘are you OK?’ and he’s telling me, ‘no, they’re trying to kill me.’ He was saying things like, said they’re racist. It made it seem like something was going on with him,” Myron Gates told the outlet, describing a phone call that appeared to take place after King was released.

No records of formal allegations of racism made by King could be found, a defense official told the DNCF.

On Tuesday, the Pentagon said North Korea had acknowledged the United Nations Command’s request for information but did not provide any substantive details.

“There was the initial passing of the information, and this was essentially an acknowledgement from the DPRK government that yes, we have received your request for information,” Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder said at a briefing.

FILE PHOTO: A U.S. flag hangs on the porch and a “Proud parent of a U.S. Army soldier” sticker adorns the car outside the home of 23-year-old Private Travis King’s mother in Racine, Wisconsin, U.S., July 19, 2023. REUTERS/Eric Cox/File Photo

Franks said the family heard from an Army noncommissioned officer shortly after Private King’s disappearance but has not received any “substantive” communication with answers to the family’s questions since.

“We’re not casting any aspersions. We’re just saying, like, could somebody please call on the phone so that this mother can have her questions answered, you know, to the best of the Army’s ability?” Franks said. “She’s definitely prepared to engage you know, if they would engage back.”

However, the Army said King’s unit had been in constant communication with the missing private’s family.

The Army “has endeavored to provide all possible information,” a spokesperson told the DCNF.

“Pvt. King’s mother was notified of her son’s status within 24 hours of the incident. Since the notification, an Army commander continues to communicate with her via telephone several times a week,” Cynthia King, an Army spokeswoman, told the DCNF.