Talks ‘underway’ between North Korea and UN Command over detained US soldier

A TV shows an image of American soldier Travis King during a news programme at Seoul Railway Station in South Korea (Ahn Young-joon/AP)

Talks between the UN Command and North Korea over an American soldier who ran into the North from South Korea are underway, the group’s deputy commander said.

General Andrew Harrison said the process started through a communications line set up under the armistice agreement that stopped the fighting of the 1950-1953 Korean War.

He said the wellbeing of Private Travis King remains the command’s primary concern but refused to give more details, citing the sensitivity of the discussions.

Private Travis King bolted into North Korea while on a tour of the Demilitarised Zone a day after he was supposed to travel to a base in the US (Family handout/AP)

North Korea has kept publicly quiet about Mr King, who crossed the heavily armed border last Tuesday while he was meant to be heading to Fort Bliss in Texas.

US officials have expressed concern about his safety and said North Korea was ignoring their requests for information about him.