The American soldier who fled to North Korea in 2023 pleaded guilty to desertion on Friday, September 20, before a court martial under a deal and was sentenced to 12 months in detention, his lawyer announced. On July 18, 2023, Private Second Class Travis King crossed the border between South Korea and North Korea, after getting into trouble with the South Korean justice system, by mingling with a group of tourists visiting the demilitarized zone that separates the two countries.
North Korea deported him in September and he was detained by the United States, where the military charged him with desertion, punishable by up to five years in prison, and a host of other crimes. He pleaded guilty to five of the 14 crimes — desertion, three counts of disobedience to an officer and assaulting a non-commissioned officer — according to a plea deal accepted Friday by a military judge.
He was sentenced to one year in detention, a demotion to the lowest rank in the military and the loss of his pay and benefits, according to a statement from his lawyer, Franklin Rosenblatt. Having already served his sentence, with mention of “good behavior”He was released, according to the same source. The other charges were dropped.
“Great challenges”
“Travis King faced significant challenges throughout his life, with a difficult childhood, exposure to criminal environments and mental health issues. These factors were compounded by the difficulties of the military.”says his lawyer.
Travis King was based in South Korea and was arrested there after a drunken bar fight and an altercation with police. He had to return to the United States to face a disciplinary commission. But instead of returning to Fort Bliss, Texas, he left the Seoul-area airport and joined a sightseeing tour of the demilitarized zone, then crossed the fortified border, where he was arrested by authorities in the communist North.
Pyongyang claimed the soldier had defected to North Korea to escape “Racial mistreatment and discrimination within the US military”. before deciding in September to expel him for illegal entry into their territory.
