North Korea said Wednesday that it decided to expel U.S. soldier Travis King who illegally crossed the border into the North while on a civilian tour at the Joint Security Area(JSA) in July.

The North’s state-run Korean Central News Agency(KCNA) said a related agency decided to expel Private Second Class King in line with the North’s law. 

Later on Wednesday, the Associated Press reported that King was released into American custody in China. 

According to the North Korean state media, King told investigators that he crossed the border into the North due to animosity toward the abuse and racism within the U.S. military and disillusionment with the inequality of U.S. society.