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North Korea has offered a very brief response to the United Nations Command about a U.S. soldier who dashed over the heavily-guarded Demilitarized Zone border with South Korea on July 18th and was immediately taken into custody. (Reena Roy reports from NY
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Transcript/ScriptSTATUS: PRELIMINARY
LOCATION/STORY: NKoreaUSSoldierThuPKG | North Korea has offered a very brief response to the United Nations Command about a U.S. soldier who dashed over the heavily-guarded Demilitarized Zone border with South Korea on July 18th and was immediately taken into custody. (Reena Roy reports from NY)
ADVISORIES/RESTRICTIONS/EMBARGOES:
NO EXCERPTING STILLS
DO NOT OBSCURE ON SCREEN CREDITS
REUTERS MATERIAL :18-:32, NON ABC AFFILIATES MUST BE REUTERS SUBSCRIBERS
FORMAT: NewsOne PKG
VIDEO SHOWS/SHOTLIST:
SUPERS:
CLAUDINE GATES | MOTHER OF TRAVIS KING (:43-:49)
MYRON GATES | UNCLE OF TRAVIS KING (1:03-1:14)
REENA ROY | ABC NEWS (1:31-1:45)
VIDEO PROVIDED BY: ABC News
LENGTH:
1:45
SUGGESTED ANCHOR INTRO:
WE TURN NOW TO AN ABC NEWS EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH THE FAMILY OF TRAVIS KING..
THE AMERICAN SOLDIER WHO IS BEING HELD IN COMMUNIST NORTH KOREA -- AFTER RUNNING ACROSS THE BORDER FROM THE SOUTH.
ABC'S REENA ROY HAS THE LATEST.
SCRIPT:
IN AN ABC NEWS EXCLUSIVE..THE FAMILY OF MISSING US ARMY PRIVATE TRAVIS KING SPEAKING OUT AS HE REMAINS DETAINED IN NORTH KOREA.
Claudine Gates, Mother of Travis King: "I feels like I'm in a big nightmare."
LAST MONTH, THE 23 YEAR OLD SOLDIER WAS SUPPOSED TO BOARD A FLIGHT BACK TO THE US AFTER SERVING TIME IN A SOUTH KOREAN JAIL FOLLOWING A PHYSICAL ALTERCATION.
BUT INSTEAD OF GETTING ON THAT PLANE..PENTAGON OFFICIALS SAY KING LEFT THE AIRPORT AND JOINED A TOUR OF THE DEMILITARIZED ZONE OR D-M-Z..THE HEAVILY FORTIFIED BORDER AREA THAT SEPARATES NORTH AND SOUTH KOREA.
KING REPORTEDLY PICTURED HERE DRESSED IN BLACK..MOMENTS BEFORE AUTHORITIES SAY HE DELIBERATELY SPRINTED ACROSS THE BORDER.
TAKEN INTO CUSTODY BY NORTH KOREANS..AND DRIVEN AWAY IN A VAN.
Claudine Gates, Mother of Travis King: "Travis would not just go over the border like that. He's the type of kid he would've wanted to come home.
KING'S FAMILY SAYS HIS MENTAL HEALTH HAD DECLINED PRIOR TO HIS DISAPPEARANCE.
HIS UNCLE TELLING ABC HE SAID HE WAS EXPERIENCING RACISM DURING HIS MILITARY DEPLOYMENT..AND THAT AFTER HE SPENT TIME IN JAIL..HE DIDN?T SOUND LIKE HIMSELF.
Myron Gates, Uncle of Travis King: " I was like are you okay? And he's telling me no they're trying to kill me. saying things like, said they're racist It made it seem like something was going on with him
HIS MOTHER SAYING SHE RECEIVED A DISTURBING PHONE CALL IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT.. SOMETIME PRIOR TO KING CROSSING THE BORDER.
Claudine Gates, Mother of Travis King: "he said I'm not the army solider you want me to be, I'm not the army solider you want me to be and he kept screaming that out loud and then all the sudden the phone hung up - and then they were taking him to the hospital."
Reena Roy:
KING'S FAMILY IS DESPERATE FOR ANSWERS.. CALLING ON THE US GOVERNMENT TO HELP BRING HIM HOME.
THE ADMINISTRATION SAYS THEY'RE DOING WHAT THEY CAN..
THIS WEEK FOR THE FIRST TIME NORTH KOREA CONFIRMED THAT THEY ARE HOLDING KING.
REENA ROY, ABC NEWS, NEW YORK.
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