Travis King's family says America should 'fight for him' to come home from North Korea: report
State Departments says ‘no updates or news to share’ as North Korea remains silent over detained soldier
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The family of the American soldier being held in North Korea after crossing into the country during a tour of the DMZ last week is saying that "America should fight for him" to come home as the "days are getting longer" without their loved one.
Travis King’s uncle and sister made the remarks to "NBC News" after a U.S. State Department spokesperson said Wednesday there have been "no updates or news to share" about the 23-year-old private’s status.
"When he went to the Army to fight for America, America should fight for him, fight for him to come home," Myron Gates, his uncle, told the network.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}It was also reported that King’s family members have been in contact with the supportive parents of Otto Warmbier, a 22-year-old University of Virginia student who died in 2017 after falling into a yearlong coma following brain damage he suffered while in North Korean custody.
STATE DEPARTMENT SAYS ‘NO NEW COMMUNICATIONS’ BETWEEN US, NORTH KOREA OVER TRAVIS KING
This undated photo shows Travis King, the American soldier who officials say is currently being detained in North Korea. (Facebook)
"That's my worst fear, that my little nephew comes back like that," Myron Gates told "NBC News." "I hope he comes back the same way he went in."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"At the end of the day, I just feel like it should be no men left behind," added sister Jaqueda Gates, who also said "The days are getting longer, nights are worse."
"All I think about is what he can be doing," she told the network.
On Wednesday, State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel said "What I will just reiterate again is what I said yesterday, is that his well-being and getting as much information as we possible about his status and well-being continues to be a top priority for the United States."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A group of tourists stands near a border station at Panmunjom in the Demilitarized Zone in Paju, South Korea, Tuesday, July 18, 2023. Not long after this photo was taken, Travis King, a U.S. soldier, bolted across the border and became the first known American detained in the North in nearly five years. (AP Photo/Sarah Jane Leslie)
Earlier in the week, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said there has been "no new communication" with North Korea over King.
"On our side, as I said last week, we have a number of channels through which we’re able to send messages to them," he said. "We’ve delivered the messages to North Korea, but we have as yet not received a response."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}King joined the Army in January 2021 and is currently a cavalry scout with the 4th Infantry Division, a U.S. Army spokesperson previously has told Fox News.
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This family photo shows a portrait of American soldier Travis King displayed at the home of his grandfather Carl Gates, Wednesday, July 19, 2023, in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Pvt. King bolted into North Korea while on a tour of the Demilitarized Zone on Tuesday, July 18, a day after he was supposed to travel to a base in the U.S. (Family Photo via AP)
A U.S. Forces Korea spokesperson said King was on a joint security area orientation tour last Tuesday when he "willfully and without authorization crossed the Military Demarcation Line into the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK)."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}King was to be separated from the military and was supposed to go back to the U.S., according to an official that spoke to Fox News, but he missed his flight.
Fox News’ Peter Aitken and Liz Friden contributed to this report.