The American soldier Travis King who fled to North Korea last year, was sentenced by a U.S. court-martial on Friday to one year in prison after having declared guilty of desertion as part of an agreement with the authorities.
After his conviction, King was released because of his length of time served and his “good behavior,” his attorney, Franklin Rosenblatt, said in a statement.
The 24-year-old soldier was facing nine counts before the military court at Fort Bliss, Texas, for entering North Korean territory on July 18 last year while taking advantage of a tourist visit to the demilitarized zone between the two Koreas, and for other previous incidents.
As part of a plea deal, King pleaded guilty to five counts: one count of desertion, one count of assaulting a noncommissioned officer and three counts of disobedience.
The judge, Lt. Col. Rick Mathew, sentenced King to a year in prison, demoted him to the lowest rank of private and stripped him of his pay and benefits.
The soldier, who was serving in South Korea, He was due to be repatriated to the United States last year as a disciplinary measure. for his troubles with the South Korean justice system, but fled to North Korea where, according to Pyongyang, he has requested asylum.
Kim Jong-un’s regime announced his expulsion in September after completing an investigation into the case, about which no further details were provided.
During the investigation, King confessed to entering North Korea illegally “because harbored resentment against inhumane mistreatment and racial discrimination within the US military,” North Korea’s KCNA news agency said.
Before fleeing to North Korea, King spent 48 days in a South Korean prison after failing to pay a fine imposed in February for hitting a police car in Seoul.
When he was about to be sent back to the United States, He escaped from the airport and moved north.
“Travis King has faced significant challenges throughout his life, including a difficult upbringing, exposure to criminal environments and mental health issues,” his attorney said Friday.
“All these factors compounded the difficulties he faced in the military,” he added.
