U.S. has not classified Travis King as a prisoner of war

The United States has not opted to classify Army Private Travis King, who recently fled into North Korea, as a prisoner of war.

Pyongyang confirmed this week that King was in the Hermit Kingdom's custody, according to the United Nations Command, though it has not publicly admitted so. The Pentagon officially designated him absent without leave (AWOL) in late July.

The United States and North Korea officially remain at war given that the Korean War ended without the signing of a formal peace treaty. King, an active duty soldier, could conceivably be classified as a POW, Reuters reported. 

King was facing disciplinary action upon his mandatory return to the States. He had been on deployment in South Korea, but earned a prison sentence for assault and damaging a police vehicle.

He crossed into North Korea after fleeing a South Korean airport and did so in civilian clothes. A Pentagon official told the outlet that such factors played into his classification. The Department of Defense is still seeking his repatriation.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on Twitter.