China Helps US Secure Release of American Soldier Held In North Korea

China and Sweden helped the United States secure the release of an American soldier who was held in North Korea for more than two months before being returned to U.S. custody on Wednesday, according to a senior Biden administration official.

Sweden helped facilitate Pvt. Travis King's transfer from North Korea to China, the official said, speaking on background with reporters to discuss the events that led to King's release.

Sweden maintains diplomatic ties with North Korea and was the "primary interlocutor" helping the U.S. get King out of North Korea, the official said. The Chinese government also helped facilitate King's transfer from North Korea into China, where he was taken into U.S. custody, the official said.

"We can confirm that Private King was very happy to be on his way home," the official said, adding that King "appears to be in good health and good spirits."

In a statement Wednesday, U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan thanked Sweden and China for their roles in helping facilitate King's release.

"We thank the government of Sweden for its diplomatic role serving as the protecting power for the United States in the DPRK and the government of the People's Republic of China for its assistance in facilitating the transit of Private King," Sullivan said.

Some details around King's release from North Korea remain murky.

King was stationed in South Korea when he crossed the border into North Korea at a village inside the Demilitarized Zone in July. He had been released from a detention center in South Korea on an assault conviction and was expected to return back to the U.S. when he entered North Korea.

North Korea decided to expel King after conducting an investigation that found he "illegally intruded" into the country, according to a report by the government's official Korean Central News Agency.

The U.S. government began working alongside Sweden and other partners to facilitate King's release after learning that North Korea planned to expel him, the Biden administration official said.

The operation that followed was "truly complex" and involved coordination by several federal agencies, according to the official. The official declined to provide more specific details about King's transfer from North Korea into China, citing security concerns.

While China helped facilitate the transfer, it "did not mediate" between the U.S. and North Korea to reach an agreement for King's release, the official said.

North Korea did not receive any concessions from the U.S. in exchange for agreeing to release King, the official added.

What happens next to King is unclear, since he was declared AWOL by the U.S. government.

Still, his release brings to a close a saga that heightened tensions between the U.S. and North Korea. The White House has faced questions since King fled to North Korea about its efforts to secure his release and whether he might face additional charges after returning to the U.S.

King was believed to be the first American in North Korean custody in five years.