North Korea says it is "investigating" the US soldier who crossed its border

What about the American soldier who ran smiling across the militarized border into North Korea? The event, because it is bizarre, concentrates all the ingredients to keep the public expectant. In a normal situation, there would be communication between countries, with clear information. But the situation, with North Korea involved, is never normal.. In the last 15 days there has been little progress. Nothing is really known about Travis King's situation.

In the midst of the increase in tensions between Pyongyang and Washington, a few days ago a UN command had to intervene to liaise with the Kim Jong-un regime.. The international organization sent a request to know the fate of King, who, according to the Pentagon, would have been immediately detained after crossing the border.

The latest news is that North Korea, for the first time, has responded to UN requests for information: they acknowledge that King has crossed into the country and that the incident is under investigation.. This was the brief answer that came last Monday. “I can confirm that the DPRK – the acronym for the country's official name – has responded to the United Nations command, but I don't have any substantive progress to read,” US Brigadier General Patrick Ryder said on Tuesday.

King, 23, who was in South Korea as a US Army cavalry scout, unexpectedly met a group of tourists en route to the DMZ on July 18 and crossed over to the North Korean side.. US officials have reported that just after crossing, King was put in a van and probably transferred to Pyongyang.

After the event, news quickly broke about the many problems surrounding the soldier. He faced two assault charges in South Korea. He reportedly punched another person while in a Seoul nightclub and also kicked and broke the door of a police car. For those incidents, from May 24 to July 10, he served a sentence of forced labor at the Cheonan Correctional Center instead of paying a fine. He was scheduled to return to the US to face disciplinary punishment.

Two US officials told ABC News that King spent about a week under observation at a US military base in South Korea after his release from jail. He completed external processing from the facility, and on July 17, he was escorted by US military officials to Incheon International Airport, into the customs checkpoint. He had to board a flight to return to his country. But the soldier got away.