The United States thanked China for the transfer of US soldier Travis King, who crossed from South Korea to North Korea without authorization.

The US State Department made a statement about US soldier Travis King, who crossed from South Korea to North Korea without authorization and was deported to China. The ministry thanked Sweden and China, working in coordination with the US Department of Defense, for their assistance in facilitating King's transfer.

In the statement, US Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns and Brigadier General Patrick Teague received King today, and King will be on his way to the US as soon as possible.

King, 23, who was serving with the US unit in South Korea, managed to leave Incheon Airport on July 18, just before he was sent back to the US for disciplinary offenses. King, who was on a tour of the demilitarized joint security zone between the two countries under the control of the United Nations (UN), had crossed the border into North Korea without authorization during the tour. North Korea first claimed that it had no information, but on August 3, North Korea confirmed that King had been detained.