Bringing Private King home: reaching Pyongyang is the first challenge

FILE PHOTO: U.S. Private Travis T. King (wearing a black shirt and black cap) is seen in this picture taken during a tour of the tightly controlled Joint Security Area (JSA) on the border between the two Koreas, at the truce village of Panmunjom, South Korea, July 18, 2023. Sarah Leslie/Handout via REUTERS

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - It has never been easy for the United States to secure the return of citizens from North Korea, one of the world's most isolated nations.

The task may be even harder in the case of Private Travis King, with communication between the countries now almost non-existent, say diplomats and negotiators.