When a US service member made a mad dash to cross into North Korea while visiting the border, there were more questions than answers, and most took the form of “what was he thinking?”
Long-time North Korea watchers were rightly pessimistic about the chances of a swift and happy end to the story. North Korea tends to hold on to its foreign “assets,” US relations with North Korea are not good, and as if to underline that point, Kim and Putin recently held a rare summit meeting to profess their mutual support.
But then, in a shocking turn of events, Pyongyang released the serviceman, and he has returned to the US. One can imagine different explanations, but for now, we should just be thankful that this whole episode has ended quickly and without harm to anyone.