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Theories abound as to why a 23-year-old U.S. soldier crossed the border from South Korea while on a guided tour. Prior to his defection in July, Travis King had spent two months in detention in South Korea on assault charges. He was supposed to fly back to the U.S. to face disciplinary proceedings but managed to evade airport security and find his way into North Korea.
While Straight Arrow News contributor Peter Zeihan isn’t offering theories just yet, he does analyze past generations of North Korean leaders and is certain of one thing: the young private has entered a nation where conventional rules do not apply.
Excerpted from Peter’s Aug. 8 “Zeihan on Geopolitics” newsletter:
Before we dive into today’s video, let me start by saying that if you want to defect somewhere…maybe don’t choose the same place as Travis King. Now let’s look at where things are with North Korea.
The history of North Korea is nothing short of a fever dream, and anyone who tells you they know what’s going on inside the country is most definitely lying.
Fast forward to today, and we still have very little insight into the inner workings of North Korea. Although, it appears that Kim Jung Un is “finding his own way” as the generations before him mysteriously die off or retire.
What does this mean for Travis King? We’ll just have to wait and see what this wildcard of a country decides to do.
