Racine family speaks out after son, a U.S. soldier, crosses into North Korea
RACINE, Wis. (CBS 58) -- The U.S. soldier who military officials say could be in the custody of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, or North Korea, has family in Racine.
As what will happen to Private Second-Class Travis King remains unclear, we're hearing from his family.
According to South Korean officials, King served about two months in a South Korean jail on assault charges after being accused of kicking a police car and shouting expletives at officers before he dashed into the demilitarized zone [DMZ].
"I had noticed him because he wasn't in a group," said New Zealander tourist Sarah Leslie.
She says it all happened near the end of their tour of the DMZ.
"Suddenly I noticed a guy dressed in black running, what looked like full gas, towards the North Korean side," said Leslie.
"One of our service members, who was on a tour, willfully, and without authorization, crossed the military demarcation line," said United States Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.
U.S. officials tell CBS News that King had served time in a military detention facility in South Korea and was scheduled to come back to the U.S.
They say King didn't board the plane.
Instead, military officials say King joined a border tour group before crossing into North Korea.
On Wednesday in Racine, a man who only identified himself as King's brother said his family didn't want to talk about who his brother is at this time.
"There's nothing that we're going to say that's going to change anyone's opinion about my brother," said the man.
He also asked for privacy for the time being.
"We understand the gravity of the situation, it's a very massive and unfortunate thing -- however, at this moment, we just ask that y'all kind of like respect our privacy, because my moms has lost a son before, so this is weighing very heavily on her," said the man.
King's brother says they may share more information about King in the future.
U.S. officials say they're working to resolve the situation.