US soldier who fled to North Korea released after pleading guilty to desertion
Military personnel from the Korean People's Army medical corps attend the launch of a campaign to improve the supply of medicines, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, in Pyongyang, North Korea. (Reuters Photo)
A U.S. Army private who crossed into North Korea in 2023 has been released after pleading guilty to desertion and other charges as part of a plea deal. Pvt. Travis King was sentenced to 12 months of confinement but was freed Friday due to time served and good behavior, his lawyer confirmed.
King, who had been stationed in South Korea at the time, was originally facing 14 charges stemming from his unauthorized crossing into North Korea during a visit to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) in July 2023, as well as earlier incidents. As part of the plea agreement, King admitted to five of the charges: desertion, assault on a noncommissioned officer, and three counts of disobeying orders. The remaining charges were dismissed.
“The judge sentenced Travis to one year of confinement, reduction in rank to private, forfeiture of all pay, and a dishonorable discharge,” King’s attorney, Franklin Rosenblatt, said in a statement. “However, due to time already served and good behavior, Travis is now free and will return home.”
Rosenblatt added that King had faced “significant challenges” throughout his life, including a difficult upbringing, exposure to criminal environments, and struggles with mental health, which compounded the difficulties he encountered during his military service.
The U.S. Army’s Office of Special Trial Counsel confirmed King’s plea deal and said that the dismissed charges were part of the agreement. Prosecutor Major Allyson Montgomery called the court’s decision “a fair and just result that reflects the seriousness of the offenses committed.”
King’s escape into North Korea made headlines last year when, after a bar fight and subsequent detention in South Korea, he fled from the Seoul airport instead of boarding a plane to Texas, where he was to face disciplinary action. He joined a DMZ tour group and slipped across the border into North Korean territory, where he was detained by the country’s authorities.
North Korea initially claimed King had defected due to racial discrimination within the U.S. Army but later expelled him in September 2023, citing his illegal entry.
