US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin assured that Washington is investigating the situation around a soldier detained on Tuesday in North Korea after crossing “voluntarily and without permission” the military demarcation line, which establishes the border between the two Koreas.

“We believe he is in the custody of North Korea.therefore, we are closely monitoring the situation, investigating and working to notify (of the incident) relatives of the military,” said Austin, who indicated that “the event is at a very early stage, so there is a lot of trying to understand.”

“We know that one of our soldiers, who was on a business trip, crossed the military demarcation line voluntarily and without permission. He said this during a press conference. “I am completely concerned about the well-being of our troops, so we will focus on this issue,” Austin said.

For his part, US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller noted that the soldier crossed the border “voluntarily and without permission,” and noted that The Pentagon is leading Washington’s response.

“We understand that the Pentagon contacted their counterparts in North Korea. They are leading the situation, so I am reaching out to them to comment on the nature of these contacts,” Miller said, noting that the situation “has not yet reached the point where there are no suitable or necessary steps.”

Finally, he stressed that “the security of all Americans abroad remains a top priority for the United States.”. “The Pentagon is taking the lead and making the appropriate contacts. We are in close coordination and we will not hesitate to take appropriate steps in what we can do to resolve the situation,” he concluded.

The detainee is Travis King, a 23-year-old military man.

US authorities have not yet confirmed the identity of the soldier, although official sources cited by ABC television indicated that he Travis King, 23 Service member since January 2021.

King’s identity was confirmed by his mother. who said she was shocked after learning that her son had crossed the border into North Korea. “I can’t imagine Travis doing something like that,” said Claudine Gates, a Racine, Wisconsin resident.

Thus, he explained that the army had notified him that his son had crossed the border, and added that spoke to him “a few days ago”when he told him that he would return to his base at Fort Bliss soon. “I want him to come home,” he said.

On the other hand, legal sources cited by the South Korean news agency Yonhap reported that King was sentenced to a fine of five million won (more than three thousand dollars) in February after causing damage to a patrol car in Seoul, the capital of South Korea.