THE uncle of a US soldier who suddenly fled into North Korea has spoken out about the incident.
Travis King, 23, willfully bolted across the demilitarized zone on Tuesday without authorization from the US military.
He’s now believed to be in North Korean custody, where King may be undergoing a quarantine, as expert has said.
Carl Gates, the brother of King’s mother, told the Daily Beast his nephew had been struggling in the run-up to his escape.
The solider was reportedly deeply upset by the death of Gates’ 7-year-old son King’Nazir earlier this year.
“His mom came down on a few occasions, and she then talked to him and let him know what was going on with my son,” Gates said.
“It seemed like he was breaking down. It affected Travis a lot.”
King’Nazir died from a rare genetic disorder in February.
Gates, who described himself as a “father figure” to the soldier, said he began to act “reckless” and “crazy” once he found out that King’Nazir was about to die.
“I know it was related to what he did,” Gates said.
“(He was) crying like a baby, and now you’re in the service and you can’t do nothing about it.”
King hails from Racine, Wisconsin, about 25 miles south of Milwaukee, which is where his mother Claudia Gates still lives.
“Proud parent of a US Army soldier,” stickers adorn her car and home there.
The mother has said she was shocked by her son’s actions and wants him brought home.
King had been locked up in a South Korean detention facility for 47 days before he fled into North Korea.
He allegedly assaulted two people in October and faced fines after he was accused of damaging a police vehicle.
Officials had booked King a flight to Texas after his release and even escorted him to the airport.
But the soldier reportedly left and traveled to the South Korean border town of Panmunjom, where he joined a tour group.
King was pictured with the tourists shortly before he fled into North Korea.
