TRANSCRIPT
Seventy-one days after North Korea detained American soldier Travis King, authorities abruptly announced they were expelling him from the territory.
The US State Department confirmed he is now in their custody, after a handoff in China.
The department says no concessions were made to secure King's release.
Spokesman Matthew Miller says the help of Sweden and China has been invaluable.
"We appreciate the professionalism of our diplomats who worked with their counterparts at the Department of Defense and coordinated with the governments of Sweden and the People's Republic of China. And we thank Sweden and the People's Republic of China for their assistance in facilitating that transfer. He is now on his way to the United States, and we expect him to arrive in the coming hours."
Mr Miller adds that the U-S private is in 'good spirits', but is not in a position to know the details of his detention in North Korea.
"I don't know anything at this point. It's possible that people who were on the plane with him have gotten further information. It hasn't been communicated back here yet, so I don't have any information other than to confirm that, yes, he was in good spirits. He was in good health. But with respect to his treatment, it's not something I can read out from the podium today."
Swedish officials took King to the Chinese border, where he was met by the U-S Ambassador to China, Nicholas Burns; the Swedish ambassador to China, and at least one US Defense Department official.
The announcement has surprised some observers who expected North Korea to drag out his detention in the hopes of squeezing concessions from the United States at a time of high tensions between the rivals.
Mr Miller says the US is not in a position to know North Korea's motivations, but says they are open to diplomacy.
"So I would not want to speculate on any motivations on the North Korean side. And I don't know that I would take from this Herald some breakthrough in diplomatic relations. Obviously, we're pleased to have secured his return. We're very thankful for the government of Sweden for their work as the protecting power that they did to help facilitate his transfer back to the United States. I will restate, as I have said from this podium before and as as we have said, we are open to diplomacy with North Korea. We would welcome diplomacy with North Korea."
What prompted the 23-year-old private to flee into North Korea by joining a guided tour in July is not entirely clear at this stage.
King was among about 28,000 US troops stationed in South Korea as deterrence against potential aggression from North Korea.
Before crossing the border, he had served two months in detention in South Korea for assault charges and was released on 10 July.
Both South Korea and North Korea ban anyone from crossing their heavily fortified shared border without special permissions.
Those who have crossed North Korea in the past include: soldiers, missionaries, human rights advocates, or those simply curious about the country where access is limited.
New Zealand tourist Sarah Leslie was part of the tour group King joined. She says at the time she thought she was witnessing a stunt.
"It all happened pretty quickly. I probably only saw him running for a few seconds and that's all it would've taken to get across the border and then, a couple of seconds after, I saw that's when the soldiers shouted and started running after him. And then they told us to get in the building. So it was all a bit of a scramble and it all happened very quickly."
King's expulsion almost certainly does not end his troubles - or ensure the sort of celebratory homecoming that has accompanied the releases of other detained Americans.
Associated Press reporter Eric Tucker explains what the future looks like for the repatriated U-S soldier.
"Although the US government has said that its initial focus is going to be on helping him reintegrate into society. It is worth noting that Private King had been declared AWOL (absent without official leave) after having ran across the border abruptly. And so, to the extent that that becomes an issue for the US military to deal with, that will be something that we'll have to see in the future."
Jonathan Franks, spokesman for King's mother Claudine Gates, says she has expressed her gratitude to the U-S army and all its partners for returning her son to her.
US officials were cautious on statements about whether China's assistance opened up new ground in the bilateral relationship between China and the US.
The US State Department's Mr Miller says there have already been high level meetings between the two sides and more will be announced in the future.
"I would say that we have seen an increase in the tempo of our conversations with the Chinese government across a number of fronts. Since the Secretary traveled to Beijing in June. Of course, you've seen that at the secretary level, not just here, but at other departments in the United States government. You've seen that at the assistant secretary level. We have other meetings that will be able to make public in the very near future where we are exchanging views with China on a number of issues. And we do think there is an opening to work with China."
North Korea's KCNA state news agency says King - who is African-American - was expelled after admitting to entering North Korea illegally because he was disillusioned about alleged mistreatment and racial discrimination within the US army.
Verifying the authenticity of the statement is impossible.
Previous detainees have said after their release that their declarations while in North Korean custody were made under coercion.
