Travis King, the U.S. soldier who crossed South Korea's border into North Korea, is back in U.S.

Travis King, the young American soldier who crossed the border on foot from South Korea into North Korea in July, was back in the U.S. early Thursday. A defense official confirmed to CBS News that a plane carrying King landed in San Antonio at about 1:30 a.m. EDT.

North Korea announced Wednesday that it would expel King, with the totalitarian state's tightly-controlled media saying he had confessed to entering the country illegally.

On Wednesday, King was first sent across North Korea's border into China, where he was transferred to U.S. custody. U.S. officials said there were no concessions made by Washington to secure King's release.