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An American soldier who illegally entered North Korea last year has pleaded guilty to desertion, as part of a plea deal that sent him to prison for 12 months, his lawyer said.
The lawyer said the court released Private Travis King due to his good behavior and time he had previously served in prison.
King was facing 14 charges related to his July 2023 cross-border escape from South Korea to the North through the Demilitarized Zone that divides the Korean Peninsula.
But he pleaded guilty to just five counts – desertion, assault on a noncommissioned officer and three counts of disobeying an officer’s orders – as part of a plea agreement accepted by a military judge yesterday.
“Under the terms of the plea agreement, the judge sentenced Travis to one year in prison, a reduction in rank to Private (E1), forfeiture of all pay and benefits, and a dishonorable discharge,” said a statement from his attorney, Franklin Rosenblatt.
“With his time served and good behavior, Travis is now free and will be returning home,” he added.
“Travis King has faced significant challenges throughout his life, including a difficult upbringing, exposure to criminal environments and struggles with mental health,” Rosenblatt noted.
Prosecutor Major Allison Montgomery called the military court’s decision “fair and reflective of the seriousness of the crimes committed by Private King.”
King, who was serving in South Korea, slipped across the fortified border into North Korea after joining a tour of the demilitarized zone, where he was supposed to return to Texas to face disciplinary action after getting into a bar fight.
Pyongyang said King defected to North Korea to escape “mistreatment and racial discrimination in the US military.”
But after completing its investigation, North Korea decided to deport King in September for illegally entering its territory.
