Fact Check: Rep. Tae Young-ho Did NOT Say US Soldier Who Entered North Korea Will Likely Be English Teacher

Did Rep. Tae Young-ho, a member of the National Assembly for the Gangnam district of Seoul, say that Travis King, the U.S. soldier who entered North Korea in July, will likely become an English teacher in the country? No, that's not true: Tae mentioned the possibility as far-fetched and compared King's future in North Korea to hell.

The claim appeared in a video (archived here) published by @shortjisik on TikTok on July 30, 2023 with the caption: "미군이 북한으로 월북하면 벌어지는 일 (실제 상황)" or "What happens when American soldiers defect to North Korea (actual situation)," as translated by Lead Stories staff.

Starting at the 0:22 timestamp, the video said, as translated by Lead Stories staff:

According to Rep. Tae Young-ho, there is a high likelihood that the soldier will first become brainwashed and then put to work as an English teacher or translator in North Korea.

Here is what the post looked like at the time of writing:

(Source: TikTok.com screenshot taken on Wed Aug 9 19:56 2023 UTC)

Tae is a North Korean defector who formerly served as the country's deputy ambassador in the United Kingdom before fleeing with his family to South Korea in 2016. He was elected to the National Assembly in the 2020 South Korean legislative election.

The claim appears to stem from a July 18 Facebook post by Tae that did not mention King by name but wrote about a U.S. soldier who defected while on a Joint Security Area (JSA) tour in North Korea, which matches King's description. It opened, as translated by Lead Stories staff:

A 'Crash Landing in Hell' will begin for the U.S. soldier who defected to North Korea.

"Crash Landing in Hell" refers to a South Korean fictional drama about a woman who made an emergency landing in North Korea due to a paragliding accident who develops a relationship with a high-ranking North Korean soldier.

The Facebook post said:

만일 그를 북한에 남겨 두기로 결정한다면 그를 북한체제에 적응시키기 위한 세뇌 교육이 필요해서 전문 교사팀과 교육 커리큘럼도 짜야 한다. 물론 일정한 직업도 고려해야 한다. 월북 미군 장병인 경우 영어교사로 활용할 수 있으나 문제는 그가 북한 사람들에게 아무 말이나 막 할 수 있어 사전 세뇌작업이 상당히 오랜 기간 필요하고 그가 오히려 그런 세뇌 교육에 반발할 가능성도 있다.

In English, as translated by Lead Stories staff:

If the decision is made to keep him in North Korea, he would need to undergo brainwashing to adapt him into the North Korean system from a team of professional teachers who will need to create an educational curriculum for him. Of course, a regular job must be considered. A U.S. soldier who defected to North Korea can be used as an English teacher, but the problem is that he can say anything to North Koreans, a lengthy brainwashing process will be required and there is a possibility of him resisting such brainwashing.

Tae's office did not respond to a request for comment.

Tae also mentioned in the Facebook post that it is unknown why the U.S. soldier defected, but "after a few days, he will quickly realize that he made the wrong choice."

Notably, Tae wrote that although there are cases of Americans being returned after entering North Korea, there is no precedent to do the same for a U.S. soldier who voluntarily entered the country.

The same sentiment from Tae was reported by major South Korean news agencies including JoongAng Daily, Korea Daily and YTN, and none of the reports cite Tae as saying King will likely become brainwashed in North Korea and put to work as an English teacher.