King wore civilian clothes — jeans and a T-shirt — and joined a group of 43 tourists visiting the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea. He sprinted across the border before anyone had time to respond.

Sarah Leslie, a woman present during the tour, said he laughed out loud before bolting off, according to NPR. She shared that she had to submit her passport before taking part in the tour, which usually takes three days of planning because of security measures.

“I’m absolutely foremost concerned about the welfare of our troop,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a press conference.

King’s family said they were shocked to hear the news and that defecting was “out of his character.”

“I’ve never seen him get down like that, ever. Something’s going on. This is not his personality,” his uncle Myron Gates told NBC News.

His family added King was grieving the loss of his young cousin, The Independent reported.

“I can’t see Travis doing anything like that,” his mother, Claudine Gates, told ABC News. “I’m so proud of him. I just want him to come home, come back to America,” she added.

Travis King

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